﻿AND 
  AYES 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  AMERICA. 
  239 
  

  

  galla 
  it 
  is 
  smaller; 
  in 
  this 
  species 
  it 
  is 
  immense, 
  thongh 
  not 
  quite 
  equal 
  in 
  proportions 
  to 
  

   that 
  observed 
  in 
  Crax 
  alector. 
  The 
  latter 
  species 
  presents, 
  however, 
  a 
  marked 
  pneumatic 
  

   foramen 
  on 
  the 
  proximal 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  tibia 
  just 
  behind 
  the 
  external 
  crest, 
  which 
  is 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  by 
  a 
  very 
  minute 
  one 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  genus. 
  This 
  does 
  not 
  weigh 
  with 
  such 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  as 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  present 
  genus 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  group, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  equally 
  minute 
  or 
  

   wanting 
  in 
  Tallegalla 
  lathami, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  Gallus 
  and 
  the 
  true 
  Gallinae. 
  The 
  distal 
  ex- 
  

   tremity 
  of 
  the 
  tibia 
  is 
  more 
  like 
  the 
  Megapodiidae 
  than 
  the 
  Gallus, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  proxi- 
  

   mal, 
  in 
  the 
  lesser 
  proportions 
  of 
  the 
  tuberosity 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  fibula 
  is 
  attached. 
  

  

  The 
  osteology 
  of 
  the 
  Penelopine 
  genera 
  is 
  not 
  accessible 
  to 
  me 
  at 
  present, 
  so 
  that 
  I 
  

   cannot 
  compare 
  the 
  present 
  one 
  with 
  Oreophasis, 
  Penelope, 
  etc., 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  no 
  doubt 
  

   has 
  affinity. 
  

  

  MELEAGRIS 
  SUPERBUS, 
  Cope. 
  

  

  Established 
  on 
  a 
  nearly 
  perfect 
  right 
  tibia, 
  and 
  imperfect 
  left 
  one, 
  a 
  left 
  femur 
  with 
  the 
  condyles 
  broken 
  off, 
  and 
  a 
  

   right 
  coracoid 
  bone, 
  with 
  the 
  distal 
  articular 
  extremity 
  imperfect. 
  

  

  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  tibii 
  will 
  best 
  repi'esent 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  bird. 
  It 
  is 
  one-fourth 
  greater 
  "than 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  

   large 
  adult 
  male 
  turkey, 
  and 
  it 
  exceeds 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  bone 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  Crax 
  alector 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  the 
  

   Academy 
  Natural 
  Sciences, 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  amount. 
  It 
  is 
  double 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  tibia 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Crax. 
  

   Its 
  proximal 
  crests 
  are 
  strongly 
  developed. 
  On 
  the 
  articular 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  the 
  two 
  anterior 
  concavities 
  are 
  well 
  

   marked, 
  and 
  the 
  posterior 
  table 
  overhangs 
  the 
  shaft 
  as 
  in 
  Melagris 
  gallopavo, 
  and 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  Crax 
  alector; 
  it 
  is 
  

   strongly 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  external 
  tuberosity 
  by 
  a 
  concave 
  notch; 
  from 
  its 
  posterior 
  prominence 
  a 
  keel 
  descends 
  

   along 
  the 
  shaft 
  separating 
  an 
  external 
  larger 
  from 
  an 
  internal 
  less 
  concave 
  face. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  bounded 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  

   side 
  by 
  a 
  less 
  prominent 
  ridge. 
  These 
  ridges 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  tiu 
  - 
  key, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  Crax. 
  The 
  fibular 
  ridge 
  is 
  not 
  prom- 
  

   inent 
  below, 
  and 
  is 
  of 
  normal 
  length. 
  The 
  shaft 
  is 
  flattened, 
  least 
  so 
  distally. 
  The 
  internal 
  muscular 
  ridge 
  is 
  well 
  

   marked, 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  run 
  into 
  a 
  keel 
  on 
  the 
  distal 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  tibia 
  as 
  in 
  Crax 
  alector, 
  but 
  is 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  turkey 
  and 
  Tale- 
  

   galla. 
  The 
  distal 
  tendinous 
  groove 
  is 
  much 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  turkey, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  transverse 
  bridge, 
  quite 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  turkey, 
  

   Curassow 
  and 
  Tallegalla. 
  The 
  upper 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  bridge 
  is 
  thin 
  and 
  easily 
  broken, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  wide 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  single 
  

   turkey 
  with 
  which 
  I 
  compared 
  it. 
  The 
  intercondyloid 
  groove 
  is 
  open 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  turkey, 
  more 
  so 
  than 
  in 
  Gallus, 
  and 
  

   with 
  a 
  shallow 
  transverse 
  groove 
  for 
  the 
  articular 
  ligament, 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  faintly 
  traced 
  in 
  Crax 
  and 
  distinct 
  in 
  the 
  

   turkey. 
  The 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  condyles 
  is 
  more 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  Fowl 
  than 
  of 
  the 
  turkey 
  and 
  Crax, 
  i. 
  e., 
  the 
  posterior 
  

   plane 
  is 
  narrow 
  and 
  elevated, 
  not 
  broad 
  and 
  concave. 
  The 
  external 
  faces 
  of 
  the 
  condyles 
  are 
  less 
  concave 
  than 
  in 
  

   either 
  type, 
  and 
  the 
  inner 
  contracted 
  or 
  incurved, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  turkey; 
  the 
  outer 
  is 
  not 
  as 
  much 
  flared 
  as 
  in 
  both. 
  The 
  

   antei-o-posterior 
  diameter 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  tibia 
  enters 
  the 
  total 
  length 
  5.2 
  times, 
  being 
  about 
  the 
  proportion 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  in 
  the 
  turkey. 
  

  

  The 
  femur, 
  which 
  was 
  found 
  with 
  the 
  tibia 
  and 
  coracoid, 
  and 
  which 
  agree 
  with 
  them 
  in 
  coloi 
  - 
  , 
  mineral 
  character, 
  

   relative 
  stoutness, 
  appearing 
  in 
  all 
  respects 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  bird, 
  is, 
  nevertheless, 
  relatively 
  shorter 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   genera 
  of 
  Gallinae, 
  with 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  above 
  compared 
  this 
  species. 
  While 
  in 
  Tallegalla, 
  Crax 
  and 
  Gallus, 
  this 
  ele- 
  

   ment 
  is 
  .66 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  tibia, 
  it 
  is 
  here 
  .6, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  M. 
  gallopavo 
  seven-elevenths 
  the 
  same. 
  This 
  dispropor- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  tibia, 
  which 
  with 
  the 
  femur 
  is 
  more 
  slender 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  genera 
  named. 
  While 
  it 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  same 
  bone 
  in 
  the 
  turkey, 
  its 
  superior 
  slenderness 
  is 
  in 
  good 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  longer 
  femur. 
  

   In 
  form 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  genera 
  named. 
  The 
  superior 
  and 
  inferior 
  muscular 
  ridges 
  are 
  more 
  strongly 
  marked 
  than 
  

   in 
  Crax 
  and 
  Tallegalla, 
  and 
  the 
  trochanteric 
  ridge-like 
  external 
  margin 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  compressed 
  from 
  above 
  out- 
  

   wards 
  and 
  below 
  inwards, 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  three 
  genera 
  compared. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  grooves 
  on 
  the 
  articular 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  

   head, 
  and 
  a 
  short 
  insertion-like 
  ridge 
  just 
  above 
  and 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  it, 
  on 
  the 
  neck. 
  

  

  The 
  coracoid, 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  pneumatic 
  foramen, 
  is 
  more 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  turkey 
  than 
  the 
  

  

  