394 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 427. 



just in front of the sacrum, where the dorsal 

 spines reach their greatest length. From this 

 point they rapidly fall away in both the caudal 

 and the thoracic series. In the fourth pre- 

 sacral the first evidence of bifurcation appears 

 in a slight concavity on the posterior margin 

 of the spine. In the eighth, bifurcation is 

 complete, the median spine being replaced by 

 two slender and laterally directed processes. 

 In the eleventh presacral, or posterior cervical, 

 these lateral spines are reduced to mere rudi- 

 ments. 



The anterior caudal series departs less widely 

 from that represented in Marsh's restoration. 

 Indeed, the gradual reduction of the series 

 posteriorly offers no reliable basis of com- 

 parison. The first caudal may be readily 

 recognized by the semi-concave, semi-convex 

 anterior surface of the centrum. It is also 

 but little excavated laterally. The four suc- 

 ceeding caudals are more or less excavated 

 at the base of the transverse processes. In 

 one or two instances these fossse descend 

 deeply into the centra, but as they are some- 

 times present on one side and absent on the 

 other they can not be regarded as constant 

 characters. However, as Marsh has estimated 

 the first caudal having a solid centrum as 

 caudal IV., it is quite probable that three ver- 

 tebrse, instead of one, were missing in his 

 specimen from the anterior end of the series. 

 On the other hand. Dr. Osborn has probably 

 erred on the side of estimating the number of 

 anterior caudals as too great, if indeed the 

 specimen described by him * as Camarasaurus 

 syn. Brontosaurus may be regarded as belong- 

 ing to this genus at all. 



The centra of the anterior caudals are 

 markedly procoelous in form, but as they 

 diminish in size and complexity this character 

 disappears, so that in the region of the fif- 

 teenth they become irregularly amphiplatyan. 

 The transverse processes are rapidly reduced 

 in size, from broad flattened plates to peg-like 

 processes, and disappear entirely with the 

 twelfth. 



As has been pointed out by Osborn and 

 by Hatcher with regard to Diplodocus, the 

 three types of chevrons (viz., the closed arch, 



* Brill. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. X., p. 219. 



the open arch and the double arch types) 

 are all found in Brontosaurus, ranging in the 

 order named from the anterior end of the 

 series backward. The presence of a short, 

 stout, closed chevron imbedded in the matrix 

 below the first caudal suggests that the whole 

 series may have been chevron-bearing. As 

 the double arch pattern is also known to occur 

 in Morosaurus, the three types may be re- 

 garded as characteristic of the Sauropoda. 



A complete description of this splendid 

 specimen will be given in an early issue of 

 the museum publications. E. S. Eiggs. 



Field Columbian Museum, 

 January 10, 1903. 



A3IERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL 

 HISTORY. 



At the annual meeting of the Board of 

 Trustees of the American Museum of Natural 

 History, New York, on Monday evening, Feb- 

 ruary 9, announcement was made in the Presi- 

 dent's report of many notable accessions to 

 the collections of the Museum during the 

 year 1902. Among the most important acces- 

 sions are the following: 



The Cope collection of fossil reptiles, am- 

 phibians and fishes, and the Eobinson collec- 

 tion of archeological copper inplements, the 

 two collections being gifts of the President. 



Many rare and superb specimens have been 

 added to the J. Pierpont Morgan collections 

 of gems and gem minerals, and the Museum 

 is indebted to the same donor, Mr. Morgan, for 

 a type collection of gold and silver coins of 

 the United States Mint. 



The Dulce of Loubat has presented a collec- 

 tion of ancient jadeite ornaments from Mexico 

 and a valuable ethnological collection from 

 Brazil. 



The material received through the expedi- 

 tions, supported by the Museum and through 

 special gifts, has yielded gratifying results. 

 Among the noteworthy expeditions are: 



The William 0. Whitney expedition in 

 search of fossil horses. 



The researches carried on in Mexico through 

 the contributions of B. T. Babbitt Hyde and 

 Frederick E. Hyde, Jr. 



The archeological research carried on in the 



