THE FOSSIL AVIFAUNA OF THE 
LIMICOL^. 
Phalaropus lobatus. 
The Northern Phalarope is represented in Professor Cope’s collection bv three 
humeri all nearly perfect. Upon comparing them with the humerus belonging to 
a skeleton of this species in the U. S. National iMuseum (No. 13,(id8) 1 find the 
agreement substantially exact in all the characters and so conclude that this sjiecies 
also figured in the avifauna of the Pliocene of Oregon. I’ery likely there were 
other small limicoline birds represented, but their bones being small and light, 
they probably have, from time to time, been blown away by the wind when they 
worked up with the other fossils in the loose soil that formerly constituted the 
bottom of the lake. A number of the cosmopolitan Triugeo’ no doubt fnajuented 
the ancient shores of those lakes, and it is to the probable fate of their remains that 
I refer. 
The three humeri of this Phalarope were the only fossil bones of any of the 
Liniicolce discovered. Lengtli of any one of the specimens is 21> millimetres. In 
the case of the Eed Phalarope {Crymophihis ftilicarius) the humerus is considerably 
larger than this, wdiile in Wilson’s Phalarope {Phalaropus tricolor) it is smaller. I 
have compared these fossil humeri Avith specimens of those bones as they (K-cnr in the 
majority of our existing Avestern forms of Triiigece and small Plovers, and they fail 
to agree with the characters of any of them. I Avas much pleased to find that the 
osteological characters of a single bone in so small a bird, could Ije used to so gi-eat 
advantage. 
Equus Beds of Oregon : Cope collection. 
GALLING. 
My private cabinet contains specimens of all the various s})ecies of existing 
United States Galliucs, as Avell as skeletons of the Avihl Callus bankiva of India, 
and other gallinaceous types, so that Avhen I found the fossil remains of several 
species of this group in Professor Cope’s material, I felt that I could make the most 
exhaustive comparisons between them and the existing specie.s. This has Imen 
done, and the folloAving forms of fowls fiourished at Fossil Lake, or rather in that 
part of the country Avhere Fossil Lake existed, during the Pliocene eixM-h. 
Tympanuohus pallidicinctus. 
A perfect humerus (right side) and several more or less imiH*rfect ones. tAvo 
coracoids (left), the upper third of a femur (right), and two carpo-metacarpi nqm*- 
sent this Grouse. They are all identical Avitli the corresponding bones as we find 
them in the existing species, and are interesting from the fact that they go to sliow 
thatin former times the range of the smaller species of Prairie Hen was far mon* 
extensive than at the present day. During violent wind-storms probably some of 
these birds were bloAvn into the Pliocene lakes and this would account for the 
discovery of their fossil skeletal remains being mixed iq) with those of the water 
birds. Perhaps, too, they Avere also dropped into the water by raptorial species. 
