358 BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. [Vol.YI. 



the average in point of eminence, but shows all the usual indentations 

 and surfaces to accommodate this eud of the bone to the wrist and radius. 

 The radius differs principally in having a general curvature distributed 

 along its subtrihedral shaft, rather than having it confined to its proximal 

 third, as in many birds ; otherwise it presents its ordinary orinthic char- 

 acteristics. 



Among the mature birds representing the LaniidWj as in so many 

 other families, the carpus is composed of the two free ossicles, the cunei- 

 form and the scapho-lunar, which are here impressed by their usual 

 articulating facettes, for the radial and ulna trochlse and the metacarpus, 

 and although we have the young of this Shrike before us, the limits of 

 this paper will not allow a critical description of this interesting and 

 important region of the skeleton, that can only be obtained by careful 

 study of the youngling. 



The manus contains its customary complement of bonelets, as seen in 

 the pinions of the major part of the class in general (Fig. 100) ; medius 

 and annularis metacarpals are firmly united together, and with the short 

 first metacarpal that bears the index; the broad phalanx of the second 

 is concave upon its anconal aspect and supports below the distal joint 

 of the hand ; the smallest ijhalanx of all is ireely attached to annularis, 

 which latter metacarpal extends some little distance below its stouter 

 fellow, the medius. The pelvic limb is non -pneumatic, and consists in 

 the adults of the usual number of bones, the patella being present. 

 Tho, femur ^ less than 2.5 centimeters long, has no trochanter minor, and 

 the larger process of this name is but feebly produced; the head, with 

 its single depression for the ligamentum teres may justly be said to 

 be at right angles with the cylindrical shaft, which latter is slightly 

 convex forwards ; the condyles are well developed and the outer one pre- 

 sents the usual fibular groove. The tibia presents nothing that differs 

 in any marked extent from the oscines in general ; it has no rotular 

 X)rocess, but the pro- and ecto-cnemial apophyses are well produced and 

 turned slightly outwards ; at its distal end we observe, anteriorly, the 

 usual tendinal bony bridge for the extensor tendons. The fibula can be 

 detached from the tibia by maceration, but its lower extremity spins out 

 into a mere thread at the j unction of mid and lower thirds of the latter bone. 

 There are no free tarsal segments, and the same remarks apply here as 

 we used in speaking of the wrist-joint above. The tarso-metatarsus 

 (Fig. 99) is very delicately constructed below, while above it is stouter 

 and presents immediately back of its head the process we have called ten- 

 dinous, pierced by two pairs of foramina. A thin lamina of bone extends 

 along its shaft behind. We observe that the os metatarsale accessorium is 

 nnusually large, as is the toe it supports ; but otherwise the internodes 

 are arranged upon the general plan of the oscine foot, which brings to 

 our mind nothing of a raptorial type, except, perhaps, as ice Tcnow the 

 bird, the decided curvature of the hind claw, which is still further 

 increased and lengthened when armed with its horny theca. 



