482 F. B. Loomis — Fossil Bird from the Wasatch. 



yards off. Both came from the basal layers of the Wasatch, 

 near the head of Elk Creek, some ten miles west of Otto, 

 Wyoming, 



The bones belonged to a gallinaceous bird, having the same 

 type of epitendinons bridge near the distal end of the tibio- 

 tarsus, the deep groove on the distal end of the phalanges, and 

 claws neither so curved as those of a bird of prey nor as blunt 

 as those of a wading bird, though they are rather more pointed 

 than the claws of the turkey or fowl. However, without other 

 portions of the skeleton, exact generic comparisons are difficult ; 

 so until more complete material is found, I would assign the 

 fossils to the Bridger genus Gallinuloides, and I propose for 

 the Wasatch fossil bird the specific name prentici, after Mr. E. 

 P. Prentice, whose interest was instrumental in making the 

 find. 



The accompanying figures show the more characteristic fea- 

 tures. The type is 'No. b4 of the 1904 collection, the better 

 bones from which are shown in figures 2 and 3, while figure 1 

 is of the second specimen. The tibio-tarsus is a heavy bone 

 16 mrn wide in the middle of the distal end, and 20 mm across the 

 front of the articular condyles. The depression on the articu- 

 lar end of this bone is shallower than on the tibio-tarsus of the 

 turkey. Of the tarso-metatarsus only the external articular 

 head is preserved, which head is laterally compressed and the 

 articular surface unusually flat. Of the first row of phalanges 

 those preserved are almost identical in appearance with those ■ 

 of a turkey, although larger and heavier. The proximal pha- 

 lanx of the fourth digit is complete and measures 20 mm long 

 by 8 mm wide at the proximal end. The distal end has a mod- 

 erately deep groove about like that of the fowls. The claws 

 are rather narrow and deep, being produced into a sharp point 

 and strongly curved so as to suggest perching habits. The 

 fourth claw measures 13 mm in length (at least l mm should be 

 added for the tip broken off), 5 mm wide and T ram deep at the 

 articular end. The ridge or tongue on the articular face is 

 low and rounded. Below this articular surface there is a pro- 

 nounced projection for the attachment of tendons, evidence of 

 powerful ligaments for controling the use of the claws. 



Amherst, Mass. 



