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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



yond ; in the last two this process becomes much larger, and is evi- 

 dently made up of the haemapophyses of the vertebrae, for in each 

 case it is pierced by a delicate haemal canal, while the true hypa- 

 pophysis is still below and still exhibits the disposition to overlap 

 the vertebrae beyond. The centra of the coccygeal segments of the 

 spinal column in the Cathartidae, as among the class generally, are 

 procoelian. In the coccygeal vertebrae of Gyp arch us papa 

 we find the same general characters present that we have just attri- 

 buted to Sarcorhamphus g r y p h us ; the principal differ- 

 ences are that the neural spines are more lofty and only the ultimate 

 hypapophyses form a perfect haemal canal, the anterior ones being 

 only grooved. Among the vultures the first caudal vertebra, free 

 in some specimens, anchyloses with the sacrum in others. 



In Cathartesa. septentrio n a 1 i s the neural canal is 

 complete throughout the chain and enters the pygostyle for some 

 little distance ; the haemal canal does this also below, but this latter 

 only passes through two of the hypapophyses of the last two caudals, 

 these processes being but feebly developed in the others. The 

 diapophyses in this vulture become gradually broader and shorter 

 as we leave the sacrum. Catharista exhibits about the same 

 peculiarities with regard to its caudal vertebrae as we see in 

 Cathartes a. septentrionalis [pi. 13, fig. 28]. 



Mr Lucas tells me that he counts seven caudal vertebrae both 

 in Otogyps c a 1 v u s and V u 1 1 ti r c i n e r e a ; he also 

 kindly furnishes me with outline sketches of the pygostyles of these 

 two vultures, which we give below as we compare them with others 



[fi& 8 (g),9 (£')] 



It will be observed, from .the figures presented in the accompany- 

 ing cuts, that as a rule the coccyx among the Cathartidae is more 

 or less parallelogramic in outline, with well defined angles ; on the 

 other hand, among the Falconidae and their allies, this bony plate 

 is drawn upward and backward into a rounded point. 



Neophron has a strong tendency falconward in this respect, less 

 marked in Gypogeranus. 



The number of the dorsovertebral ribs in any of the Cathartidae 

 can easily be ascertained by consulting the table I have given above, 

 as, of course, every dorsal vertebra has its pair of free dorsal ribs, 

 these being articulated in the usual manner with the sternum, by the 

 intervention of the sternal ribs. The ribs as found among our 

 American vultures are very robust and strong bones, which is quite 

 in keeping with the general massiveness of the skeleton of this family. 

 As is most usual in the class Avcs, the neck bearing the capitulum 



