iSod I Correspondence. 3^7 



is abundant, to preserve some at once by mounting in Canada balsam 

 upon glass slides for microscopic study. Suggestions in this line have 

 been made in a recent article in the 'American Monthly Microscopical 

 Journal.' 



Very respectfully, 



Herbert Osborst. 

 Agricultural College, Ames, Iowa. 



Notes on the Steganopodes, and on Fossil Birds' Eggs. 

 To the Editors of 'The Auk' : — 



Dear Sirs: — Through the courtesy of the United States National 

 Museum I have been permitted to examine their entire series of skeletons 

 representing all the North American representatives of the Steganopodes. 

 This material I have also compared with osteological preparations of 

 steganopodous birds in my own collection, and with those from other 

 parts of the world. My comparative studies of this remarkably fine 

 series convinces me that this group, in so far as their skeletology seems 

 to indicate, may be arrayed as a fairly natural Suborder of birds, for 

 which the name Steganopodes may be retained. Upon again dividing 

 them they would appear to fall into at least three superfamilies, and an 

 entire taxonomical scheme, to include so far as the genera only, would 

 stand as follows : — 



Suborder. Superfamilies. Families. Genera. 



f f Pelecanidse. Pelecanus. 



! Pelecanoidea J Phalacrocoracidre. Phalacrocorax. 



c \ 1 Anhinsjidai. Anhinga. 



Steganopodes^ c ,., =• c 7 * 



[Sundae. oula. 



\ Phaethontoidea Phaethontidse. Phatthon. 



[_ Fregatoidea. Fregatidse. Fregata. 



In the 'Proceedings' of the Zoological Society of London for this year 

 (1894, p. 160) I published a brief article 'On the Affinites of the Stega- 

 nopodes,' wherein there was set forth a classificatory scheme for this 

 group, but unfortunately it contained an error that made it appear that 

 the genera Pelecanus, Phalacrocorax, Anhinga, and Sula all belonged to 

 the family Pelecanidai, which of course is a proposition that Avould not 

 be entertained for a moment by any thinking avian taxonomer. There 

 are no better defined families anywhere in ornithology than the Pelicans, 

 the Comorants, the Anhingas, and the Gannets. Of the Pelecanoidea, 

 the two most closely related families are the Phalacrocoracida; and the 

 Anhingidce, while the next most evident fact is the less close affinity 

 existing between the Comorants and the Sulidre. Pelecanus is an 

 aberrant genus having varying relations with all the other three remain- 

 ing families of the Pelecanoidea. From this last-named superfamily we 

 are led to the Phaethontoidea through the Sulidae, and especially through 

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