﻿Recently 
  published 
  Oi'tiitholoffical 
  Works. 
  271 
  

  

  interesting 
  fossil 
  avifauna 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Equus-heds'' 
  of 
  Silver 
  

   Lake 
  in 
  Central 
  Oregon, 
  concerning 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  previously 
  

   published 
  the 
  " 
  results 
  of 
  an 
  initiatory 
  study 
  " 
  {cf. 
  Ibis, 
  

   ]892, 
  p. 
  574). 
  Silver-Lake 
  Region 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  by 
  

   Prof. 
  Cope 
  in 
  the 
  ^American 
  Naturalist' 
  (1891, 
  p. 
  970). 
  

   The 
  '' 
  Equus-heds 
  " 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  latest 
  tertiaries, 
  and 
  are 
  

   so 
  called 
  from 
  containing 
  abundant 
  remains 
  of 
  several 
  species 
  

   of 
  extinct 
  horses. 
  

  

  After 
  preliminary 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  physical 
  characters 
  of 
  

   the 
  district, 
  its 
  existing 
  fauna, 
  and 
  the 
  nature 
  and 
  condition 
  

   of 
  the 
  abundant 
  bird-remains 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  lake-bottom, 
  

   the 
  author 
  discusses 
  the 
  fossils 
  group 
  by 
  group. 
  Many 
  of 
  

   tliem 
  are 
  referable 
  to 
  existing 
  species, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  which 
  necessitate 
  classification 
  as 
  extinct 
  forms 
  of 
  

   recent 
  genera. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  already 
  described 
  

   by 
  Prof. 
  Cope, 
  but 
  Dr. 
  Shufeldt 
  now 
  characterizes 
  as 
  new 
  

   Larus 
  robustus, 
  L. 
  oregonus, 
  Ariser 
  condoni, 
  Branta 
  propinqutty 
  

   Phmnicopterus 
  copei, 
  Ardea 
  palocci 
  dent 
  alls, 
  Fulica 
  minor, 
  

   Pedioecetes 
  lucasi, 
  P. 
  nanus, 
  Palceotetrix 
  (gen. 
  nov.) 
  (/illi, 
  

   Aquila 
  sodalis, 
  Scolecophagus 
  affinis, 
  and 
  Corvus 
  annectens. 
  

   Finally 
  the 
  bird-life 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  lake 
  is 
  pictured 
  as 
  fol- 
  

   lows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  Great 
  flocks 
  of 
  Swans, 
  Geese, 
  and 
  Ducks 
  were 
  there, 
  

   feeding 
  on 
  the 
  marshy 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  or 
  disporting 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  upon 
  its 
  waters. 
  With 
  but 
  few 
  exceptions 
  they 
  were 
  

   of 
  modern 
  genera 
  and 
  species. 
  A 
  ponderous 
  Goose 
  appeared 
  

   among 
  them, 
  perhaps 
  but 
  sparingly 
  during 
  Pliocene 
  time, 
  

   for 
  it 
  must 
  then 
  have 
  been 
  nearly 
  extinct. 
  And 
  a 
  Swan, 
  too, 
  

   whose 
  race 
  has 
  since 
  died 
  out, 
  was 
  also 
  there, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  of 
  

   a 
  size 
  quite 
  in 
  keeping 
  with 
  present-day 
  Swans. 
  Several 
  

   species 
  of 
  Grebe 
  swam 
  upon 
  and 
  dived 
  in 
  those 
  ancient 
  

   waters 
  ; 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  like 
  our 
  existing 
  Grebes, 
  and 
  most 
  

   probably 
  had 
  similar 
  habits. 
  To 
  these 
  groups 
  we 
  must 
  add 
  

   many 
  individuals 
  of 
  a 
  great, 
  strange 
  Cormorant 
  [Phalacro- 
  

   cor 
  ax 
  macropus) 
  , 
  larger 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  our 
  existing 
  Cormorants, 
  

   though 
  probably, 
  too, 
  with 
  habits 
  not 
  unlike 
  theirs. 
  Gulls 
  

   and 
  Terns 
  in 
  numbers 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  and 
  doubtless 
  files 
  of 
  

   Pelicans 
  alon^ 
  the 
  shore-lines. 
  But 
  the 
  strangest 
  figure 
  

  

  