472 
[August, 
On the Arcluzopteryx. 
sions as to their reptilian character, which are all set aside. 
The entire anterior extremity, upper arm, fore arm, down to 
the three free metacarpal bones and the three fiee fingeis, 
are simply avian. Bird-like is also the foot of the Archaeo- 
pteryx, consisting of four toes, the number of joints in- 
creasing by one each from the first to the fourth. All torn 
toes terminate in claws, the first being turned backwaids 
and the other three forwards. 
For the position of this animal in the system the skeleton 
is of less importance than the well-preserved coating of 
feathers, which can be plainly recognised on the antenoi 
extremity, the base of the neck, the tibia, and the tail. In 
the wings there can be counted on each side seventeen 
quill-feathers, six or seven of which were fixed to the hand 
and the remainder to the ulna. The feathers are constiudted 
on the type of the now-existing Carinates. It is extiemely 
probable that the entire skin of the bird was covered with 
feathers, as all authorities who have examined the subject 
are agreed with the exception of Vogt. 
Archaeopteryx is by no means an animal occupying an in- 
termediate position between birds and reptiles, but a quite 
decided bird, belonging- to a class in which the anterior 
extremity is not yet exclusively used for flight. For the sepa- 
ration of the two classes the author regards the appearance 
of feathers as the decisive point. Though the first rudi- 
ment of the feather decidedly represents the reptilian scale, 
it is soon developed to an organ which protects against cold, 
and thus is effected the separation of the cold-blooded rep- 
tiles from the warm-blooded birds, although the common 
origin of these two classes cannot be doubted. 
The memoir calls for a few remarks. If the Archaeopteryx, 
as Dames maintains, belongs to the Carinates, Prof. Hux- 
ley’s class “ Saururae,” founded for the reception of this sole 
species, must be abandoned. 
But, taking the very faCts stated by Dames, we cannot 
help admitting that Archaeopteryx, though clad in feathers, 
still retains certain important reptilian characters which in 
the course of evolution have disappeared from existing 
birds. The first of these is the occurrence of true teeth, 
bedded in distinct sockets. The second character is put 
plainly forward in the words which we have italicised, “ the 
anterior extremity is not yet exclusively used for flight.” 
The third is a point which Dames does not mention in his 
interesting memoir, but which he does not deny either ex- 
plicitly or by implication, i.e., the lizard-like tail composed 
of several vertebrae. 
