FOSSIL BIRDS AT VERO. 
35 
FOSSIL BIRDS FOUND AT VERO, FLORIDA, 
WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW SPECIES. 
(Plates I and II., Figs. 1-25.) 
By R. W. SHUFELDT. 
Important and interesting fossils of plants, certain invertebrates 
and vertebrates were obtained at Vero, Florida, in 1913. Vero is 
situated on the Atlantic coast, in the eastern-central part of the 
State. The excavations and exploration (still in progress) under¬ 
taken in that locality, which is referred to the Pleistocene, are now 
becoming generally known through various publications which have 
appeared on the subject. Chief among these is a paper by Dr. E. 
H. Sellards, the State Geologist of Florida, which appeared in the 
Eighth Annual Report of the Florida State Geological Survey 
(pp. 121-160, pis. 15-21), 1916. 
During the early part of November, 1916, Doctor Sellards 
wrote me in regard to the lot of fossil bird bones which had been 
collected from Stratum No. 3 of the Vero excavations, and re¬ 
quested me to describe them for a report (Nov. 4, 1916). This 
material was received by me shortly afterwards, and I immediately 
undertook an examination of it. To do this as thoroughly as pos¬ 
sible demanded the use of skeletons of a large number of species 
of existing birds representing the avifauna of the eastern parts of 
the United States. Such skeletons as appeared to be. necessary 
were loaned me by the Division of Birds of the U. S. National 
Museum, a favor for which I am deeply indebted. My thanks are 
likewise extended to Dr. Charles W. Richmond, Assistant Curator 
of Birds, and to Mr. J. H. Riley, his assistant, for many favors in 
this connection, particularly for doing all in their power in the 
matter of facilitating my work through their promptness in getting 
the loaned skeletons into my hands. 
In describing these fossil bones, they will be taken up in the 
order they occur on the annexed plates, with the unfigured speci¬ 
mens arrayed at the close of the list. All of the bird bones from 
Vero are included in this paper except the large Jabiru weillsi pre¬ 
viously described by Dr. Sellards. 
