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University of California Publications in Geology [Vol.7 



Introduction 



When the vertebrate palaeontologist turns his attention to 

 the group Aves as represented in North America, especially if 

 he be confronted with the problems represented by a considerable 

 mass of unassorted material, he cannot but feel that he pushes 

 out into almost uncharted waters, a wide sea where the few 

 islands recorded by previous explorers — islands too often 

 shrouded in mist — may perhaps never appear upon his horizon. 

 The scarcity of previous record, the wide separation in place of 

 the bird-bearing deposits, coupled with the inadequacy of descrip- 

 tions and the poverty of museums in collections of Recent avian 

 osteology — all these are factors which conspire to give the student 

 entering upon such an undertaking the feeling that he stands 

 or falls unto himself. In full cognizance of these conditions the 

 present paper is undertaken. Its dual purpose is the recording 

 of certain facts but recently made known in this interesting field, 

 and the correlating, insofar as this is possible, of the results thus 

 far attained. 



Acknowledgments 



Study of the University of California collections was taken 

 up at the invitation of Professor John C. Merriam, head of 

 the Department of Palaeontology of that institution, and to his 

 unstinted aid, encouragement, and advice much of what value 

 this study may possess is here freely ascribed. Grateful acknowl- 

 edgement is also made to Messrs. Joseph Grinnell and H. S. 

 Swarth of the California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology for 

 information cheerfully furnished on many Recent species and 

 for the loan of osteological material. Specimens of great interest 

 and value were loaned or donated by Dr. F. A. Lucas, Dr. A. 

 Smith- Woodward, Dr. F. C. Clark, Dr. C. 0. Esterly, Mr. E. J. 

 Fischer, and Mr. J. Z. Gilbert. The very generous attitude taken 

 by Madam Ida Hancock-Ross and the associated owners of 

 Rancho La Brea in issuing permits to excavate the asphalt de- 

 posits made possible the assembling of much valuable material 

 essential to the work. Through the personal efforts of Dr. J. C. 

 Hawver. of Auburn, California, as well as by the very cordial 



