Archeopteryx macrura. 4.45 
bones that coalesce at their extremities, but sometimes still 
separate, as in Mudyptes. This characteristic metacarpus 
bears two digits—one, the longest, with two phalanges; the 
other, often rudimentary, with one phalanx. Both these 
digits are flattened, unprovided with nails, and united toge- 
ther by ligaments, so as to be immovable. The manus of 
the Bird is adapted to bear the remiges, that of the Arche- 
opteryx is not so in any way. 
Wecan here sum up the facts as regards the skeleton. The 
head, the neck, the thorax with the ribs, the tail, the shoulder- 
girdle, and the whole fore-limb are plainly constructed as in 
Reptiles. The pelvis has probably more agreement with that 
of Reptiles than with that of Birds. The hind-foot is that of 
a Bird. Reptilian affinities therefore prevail, in the skeleton, 
over all others. 
There remain the feathers. Here, no doubt, there are 
Bird’s feathers, with a median shaft having barbs perfectly 
formed. The horny substance of the feathers has vanished, 
but the model in the fine paste of the lithographic stone is 
so perfect that the smallest details may be studied with the 
lens. The new slab shows all the feathers in their place. 
The remiges of the wings are fixed to the ulnar edge of the 
arm and to the manus; they are covered for nearly half 
their length with a fine filiform down. None of them project 
beyond the others ; the wing is rounded in its outline, like 
that of a Fowl. 
It is possible that at the base of the neck there was a ruff, 
like that of the Condor. Some traces of it are perhaps 
visible. 
The tibia was clothed with feathers for the whole of its 
length. The Archeopteryx thus wore breeches, as do our 
Falcons, to the legs of which its own leg bears, according to 
Prof. Owen, the most resemblance. 
Each caudal vertebra bore a pair of lateral rectrices. 
All the rest of the body, the head, neck, and trunk were 
evidently naked and unprovided with feathers. No traces of 
either down or feathers are there to be seen, though such 
would certainly have been found in aslab which has preserved 
