﻿348 
  0. 
  C. 
  Marsh 
  — 
  Affinities 
  of 
  Hesperornis. 
  

  

  Several 
  times, 
  I 
  was 
  much 
  tempted 
  to 
  set 
  the 
  matter 
  right 
  as 
  

   far 
  as 
  possible 
  by 
  reminding 
  the 
  critics 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  overlooked 
  

   important 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  argument, 
  and 
  that 
  new 
  evidence 
  

   brought 
  to 
  light, 
  although 
  not 
  conclusive, 
  tended 
  to 
  support 
  

   my 
  original 
  conclusion 
  that 
  Hesperornis 
  was 
  essentially 
  a 
  swim- 
  

   ming 
  Ostrich, 
  while 
  its 
  resemblance 
  to 
  modern 
  diving 
  birds 
  was 
  

   based 
  upon 
  adaptive 
  characters. 
  On 
  reflection, 
  however, 
  I 
  

   concluded 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  statement 
  would 
  doubtless 
  lead 
  to 
  useless 
  

   discussion, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  no 
  new 
  

   facts 
  to 
  offer, 
  and., 
  having 
  myself 
  more 
  important 
  work 
  on 
  

   hand, 
  I 
  remained 
  silent, 
  leaving 
  to 
  future 
  discoveries 
  the 
  

   final 
  decision 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  at 
  issue. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  an 
  interesting 
  fact 
  that 
  this 
  decision 
  is 
  now 
  on 
  record. 
  

   A 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  century 
  after 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  Hesperornis, 
  and 
  

   a 
  decade 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  after 
  its 
  biography 
  was 
  written 
  in 
  the 
  

   Odontornithes, 
  its 
  true 
  affinities, 
  as 
  recorded 
  in 
  that 
  volume, 
  

   are 
  now 
  confirmed 
  beyond 
  dispute. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  region 
  

   where 
  the 
  type 
  specimen 
  was 
  discovered, 
  a 
  remarkably 
  per- 
  

   fect 
  Hesperornis, 
  with 
  feathers 
  in 
  place, 
  has 
  been 
  found, 
  and 
  

   these 
  feathers 
  are 
  the 
  typical 
  plumage 
  of 
  an 
  Ostrich.* 
  

  

  Tale 
  University, 
  New 
  Haven, 
  Conn., 
  March 
  16th, 
  1897. 
  

  

  * 
  "Williston, 
  Kansas 
  University 
  Quarterly, 
  vol. 
  v, 
  p. 
  53, 
  July, 
  1896. 
  

  

  