Miscellaneous. 453 
7. Metatarsals separate or imperfectly united. 
These characters, taken in connexion with the free metacarpals 
and long tails, previously described, show clearly that we have in 
Archeopteryx a most remarkable form, which, if a bird (as I believe), 
is certainly the most reptilian of birds. 
If now we examine these various characters in detail, their im- 
portance will be apparent. 
The teeth actually in position in the skull appear to be in the 
premaxillary, as they are below or in front of the nasal aperture. 
The form of the teeth, both crown and root, is very similar to that of 
the teeth of Hesperornis. The fact that some teeth are scattered 
about near the jaw would suggest that they were implanted in a 
groove. No teeth are known from the lower jaw ; but they were 
probably present. 
The presacral vertebrae are all, or nearly all, biconcave, resem- 
bling those of Jchthyornis in general form, but without the large 
lateral foramina. There appear to be twenty-one presacral vertebra, 
and the same, or nearly the same, number of caudals. The sacral 
vertebra are fewer in number than in any known bird, those united 
together not exceeding five, and probably less. 
The scapular arch strongly resembles that of modern birds. 
The articulation of the scapula and coracoid, and of the latter with 
the sternum, is characteristic; and the furcula is distinctly avian. 
The sternum is a single broad plate, well ossified. It probably 
supported a keel; but this is not exposed in the known specimens. 
In the wing itself the main interest centres in the manus and its 
free metacarpals. In form and position these three bones are just 
what may be seen in some young birds of today. This is an im- 
portant point, as it has been claimed that the hand of Archwo- 
pteryx is not at all avian, but reptilian. The bones of the reptile 
are indeed there; but they have already received the stamp of the 
bird. 
One of the most interesting points determined during my inves- 
tigation of Archeopteryx was the separate condition of the pelvic 
bones. In all other known adult birds, recent and extinct, the 
three pelvic elements, ilium, ischium, and pubis, are firmly anky- 
losed. In young birds these bones are separate ; and in all known 
Dinosaurian reptiles they are also distinct. This point may perhaps 
be made clearer by referring to the two diagrams before you, which 
I owe to the kindness of my friend Dr. Woodward, of the British 
Museum, who also gave me excellent facilities for examining the 
Archeopteryx under his care. In the first diagram we have repre- 
sented the pelvis of an American Jurassic Dinosaur allied to Igua- 
nodon ; and here the pelvic bones are distinct. The second diagram 
is an enlarged view of the pelvis of the Archwopterya in the British 
Museum; and here too the ilium is seen separate from the ischium 
and pubis. 
In birds the fibula is usually incomplete below; but it may be 
coossified with the side of the tibia. In the typical Dinosaurs 
(Iguanodon, for example) the fibula at its distal end stands in front 
