646 The American Naturalist. [July, 
of unidentifiable scapule, and some odd vertebra. Under these cir- 
cumstances one is obliged to be extremely cautious and careful (espe- 
cially in the case of birds) in coming to an opinion as to what species 
the bones belonged, and whether these species are still represented in 
existing avian faunæ or are now to be reckoned among the extinct 
orms. An example of this is well exemplified in the case of a small 
humerus from the right pectoral limb of a bird in this collection. It 
is evidently passerine, and may have belonged to any average finch or _ 
sparrow the size of a Carpodacus, the bone being 2 ems. long and hav- 
ing all the characters seen in the humeri əf that size and in that group. 
It is practically impossible to identify such a specimen, especially in 
the absence of all of the rest of the skeleton, and the fact moreover, 
that it possibly belonged to some extinct finch, sparrow, or other small 
passerine type. For these reasons too, I pass by quite a number of 
fragments of avian ulnæ that belonged to various species, as well as 
other bones of the skeleton, naming only those that can be pronounced _ 
upon with certainty. 
PYGOPODEs. 
Colymbus auritus—Represented in the collection by a perfect left 
femur of an adult individual, as well as by the shaft of a left humerus, 
and the distal end of a tibio-tarsus. These bones correspond exactly 
with those found in examples of this Grebe now existing. I have com- 
pared them with the skeleton of one of the species in the collections of 
the United States National Museum (No. 17,873). 
_ ANSERES. 
A right coracoid ; a right humerus; and the proximal moiety of a 
right ulna (all from adult birds) appear to have belonged to some spe- 
cies of anserine fowl. Doubt may rest with the humerus and ulna, be- 
cause they are somewhat fragmentary ; but the coracoid belonged to a 
duck or else a Merganser ; it is about the size for Aix sponsa. Thus 
far I have not identified it. 
GALLIN2. 
Colinus virginianus.—That the remains of the Common Virginia 
Partridge occurred in these caves rests upon the discovery of the right 
humerus of an adult individual of this species. It is found to agree 
exactly with the corresponding bone in specimens of this bird now ex- 
isting. There is also in the collection a left humerus of a Partridge, 
that might easily have belonged to either a female of this species Or 
