198 Shufeldt on the Os Prominens iit Hawks. 
My attention was called to the fact several months ago, while 
engaged in preparing the skeleton of a fine specimen of Circus 
hudsonius which I had secured for that purpose. The bird in 
question had been allowed to macerate for a long time, as a dis- 
articulated skeleton alone was desired, so that disintegration 
of the soft parts was very complete and the bones sank to the 
bottom of the vessel containing my Hawk. Upon collecting these 
together and assorting them I found a pair of ossicles that I 
could not exactly account for, nor conceive as to which part of 
the bird’s skeleton they rightfully belonged ; of course the verte- 
bral column, sternum, ribs, and pelvis could, one and all, be 
immediately discarded ; first in order, naturally came the carpus 
and tarsus both of which were carefully examined, an examina- 
tion that at the time I am free to confess threw no further light 
upon the subject, for the extremities of the long bones seemed to 
possess nothing that approached the appearance of additional 
facets for articulation, and the two free ossicles of the carpus 
seemed to exhibit all their usual characteristics as irregularly 
formed bonelets, not differing materially from their homologues 
in other birds of powerful flight. From the bony remains of my 
disjointed Marsh Harrier, I turned to the authors and authorities 
but only after thorough search through the works of those then 
at my command did I find that my labors were to terminate as 
already cited. Nothing was revealed or described that assisted 
me in the elucidation of such an unsuspected problem. My 
fowling piece and another specimen was the only and best 
resort left, but, as we all know, when a certain species of the 
class Aves becomes particularly desirable and must be had at 
once, no matter how common it may be, that bird suddenly 
develops a remarkable shyness, to say nothing of rarity, and 
such was the case here, for fully a month elapsed before a dupli- 
cate was taken ; but it came at last in the shape of a fine adult 
female of the species already considered, and she was eagerly 
carried to my study. 
My first suspicions were the first to be satisfied, and to this end 
I made an incision, carried only through the skin, around the 
shoulder, then carefully removed the integuments, allowing the 
quills of the primaries to remain, from the entire wing. This 
being successfully accomplished, the following condition of 
affairs at the wrist joint at once were disclosed to me, and care- 
fully noted. 
