FOSSIL HUMAN REMAINS AT VERO, FLORIDA 19 



egretta. However, I would hardly feel justified in making a new species of this, 

 unless it was associated with other bones belonging to the same skeleton. I 

 would suggest, therefore, that it be set aside to await the discovery of additional 

 material from the same locality and the same excavation. 



In this little lot there still remains the distal extremity of a small right 

 tarso-metatarsus, which is quite perfect as far as it goes. It belonged to some 

 sort of average-sized wading bird, perhaps after the heron order, or a near ally. 

 I have compared it with the corresponding part in some thirty skeletons of 

 existing birds; but, while it comes pretty close to some of them, it presents 

 departures of such a nature that it does not agree with any of them. I am not 

 prepared to describe it as coming from a new and extinct bird; but I would 

 suggest that it be set aside to await the discovery of additional material from 

 the place where it was found. 



No. 7551. This is the distal portion of a right tibio-tarsus of a heron some- 

 what smaller than Ardea herodias, but specifically distinct from it. The con- 

 dyles are considerably abraded, but otherwise the specimen is perfect as far as 

 it goes. The intercondylar valley is narrower and shallower than we find it in 

 Ardea herodias, and the anterior tendinal groove in the fossil rapidly con- 

 tracts as it proceeds up the shaft, to become very narrow about 2 cm. above 

 the osseous tendinal bridge. This is not the case in Ardea herodias, wherein the 

 anterior surface of the shaft in that locality is flat, and barely exhibits any 

 tendinal groove. There are a few other points of difference, which, taken in 

 connection with what is set forth above, inclines me to believe that this bone 

 belonged to a heron of the genus Ardea, of about the same size as the existing 

 Ardea herodias, but specifically distinct from it. For this apparently extinct 

 heron I here propose the name of Ardea sellardsi. 



No. 7000. An imperfect distal third of the right tarso-metatarsus of a 

 large wader. Unfortunately the trochleae are nearly all fractured off; still 

 the characters of this bone are so pronounced that I have no hesitation in 

 referring it to some species of Mycteria, and it probably belonged to a wood 

 ibis, Mycteria americana, with which I have compared it. So far as the frag- 

 ment goes, it does not seem to offer a sufficient number of characters to separate 

 it from that species. 



It is thus found that stratum No. 3 of the section at Vero con- 

 tains extinct species of each of the three vertebrate classes — reptiles, 

 birds, and mammals. Since this deposit, No. 3, rests upon the 

 fossiliferous stratum, No. 2, it becomes necessary to inquire to what 

 extent these fossils may possibly have washed from the underlying 

 deposit. With regard to birds, those of No. 3 are more abundant 

 both in specimens and in species than are those of No. 2. Moreover, 

 the bird bones are fragile and would not withstand washing from 



