74 DEANE'S FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS. 



I do not feel certain of this. No unequivocal specimen of a webbed foot has ever 

 been seen. The divarication of the lateral toes is much greater than is usual. The 

 toes and heel are very massive, and in such proximity at their junction as to convey 

 the appearance of a membraneous connection. The impression although striking is 

 not perfect, as it is not easy to make out the phalangeal impressions, still it is 

 sufficiently so to render it specifically distinct from all others. It is a right foot, but 

 the length of step cannot be determined as it is a solitary impression. 



Fig. 4 differs entirely from the foregoing, as it does not display the phalangeal or 

 tarsal depressions, but in place of the latter there is an impression of a bushy 

 appendage projecting from the heel. This example was taken from a row of six 

 impressions each identical, and in all, the only impress of the central toe is its 

 extremity. The step is ten inches. The expression of this footprint is striking and 

 peculiar, and the specimen from which it was taken is regarded as a very interesting 

 one. 



The footprint upon Plate VIII is remarkable for its immense proportions, although it 

 falls far short of other gigantic impressions, which are sometimes found from fifteen 

 to eighteen inches in length. The specimen from which the drawing was taken 

 exceeds in dimensions the foot of any known existing bird. This species is rare, but 

 I have seen rows of six or seven consecutive impressions. The stride is four feet, 

 and the immense weight of the bird caused it to sink into the stratum, and 

 consequently its footprints are invariably deep. The peculiar feature of this 

 impression is the vast size of the heel. It does not display the usual bilobed 

 divisions, but is large, circular, and very deep. The lobes of the inner and central 

 toes are sufficiently distinct. The toes are in close proximity, and the weight of the 

 bird compressed the resisting medium into an unusual degree of smoothness. There 

 are, however, some slight fractures in the long toe caused by the separation of the 

 strata. 



