bi a 
; a ; 
es 
William Davies—Fossil Bird-remains of India. 21 
I also annex measurements of the 13th vertebra of the normal 
cervical series :— 
Fossil. Recent, 
Length of centrum along median line cot BetA ABceh shZa teva Week SSO 
Anterior transverse diameter over vertebral canal ... enh Uae BO 1°47 
Posterior transverse diameter of centrum... oop see7k ORGM (uss.7 2076 
Vertical diameter from summit of neural spine ae saat Wee 1°15 
The aggregate lengths of eight consecutive fossil vertebrae 
measured along the outer curve... ane ce peea) eLOro 
The corresponding eight recent vertebree placed in the same 
curved position measured... ie ont se oc oor nee 2050 
The same vertebre placed in a straight line see on pas amy 
The above measurements corroborate the evidence adduced from 
the leg-bones that the Siwalik Ostrich stood as high as its African 
congener; but the greater vertical depth and anterior transverse 
diameter of the cervical vertebre indicate a bird of robuster pro- 
portions as regards the neck.’ 
The wing-bones, consisting of portions of the carpal ends of the 
ulna and radius, metacarpus and phalange, are all, with the excep- 
tion of the metacarpus, fragmentary and mutilated, and only recog- 
nized by their relative positions in regard to the metacarpus. This 
part of the wing is sufficiently complete for identification, the most 
perfect element being the middle, or third, metacarpal of the penta- 
dactyle hand, and it shows the short second metacarpal anchylosed 
to it; the outer, or fourth, metacarpal has the curve, characteristic 
of this bone in the Ostrich; it is also much stouter, relatively to the 
_ third metacarpal, than are the same bones to each other in the recent 
bird. 
The length of the third metacarpal in the fossil is 3-6 inches, 
and in the recent skeleton 3-7, the proximal end of the fossil being 
imperfect. ‘ 
The next most important fragment is the distal extremity of the 
| tibio-tarsus afore-mentioned. It forms part of the Cautley collection, 
and is represented on the already quoted unpublished pl. R. (figs. 
2, 2a, b, c, d) ; and, although unrecorded, we may assume that its 
affinity was known or suspected by Dr. Falconer, from his placing 
in conjunction with the figures of the fossil a figure of the corre- 
sponding portion of the tibia of a recent Ostrich (fig. 6). Unfor- 
tunately the fossil is imperfectly preserved, the sharp edges of the 
condyles being much abraded, and this defect not being clearly 
_ shown in the engraving, gives a somewhat erroneous impression as 
regards its original form. Nevertheless, it has the form and 
| possesses all the characters of that portion of the shin-bone of the 
recent skeleton (356a, Brit. Mus. Coll.) with which it has been 
1 These vertebree were originally assigned by the finder to the ‘‘ Swan”: this 
‘ Mame being written on one of the series; and in a small pamphlet, descriptive of 
Siwalik fossils, entitled, ‘‘ Memoirs by Major W. E. Baker, Bengal Engineers, on 
the Fossil Remains, presented by himself and Colonel Colvin, C.B., to the Museum 
of Natural History at Ludlow” (Ludlow, 1850), it is stated that ‘ the remains of 
birds have been found in the Siwalik strata, but they are of rare occurrence, and con- 
sist of bones of gralle or waders, and of a large kind of swan.’ This, there can be 
no doubt, refers to the specimen above described. 
