74 
DEANE’S FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS. 
I do not feel certain of this. No unequivocal specimen of a webbed foot has ever 
been seen. The divarication of the lateral toes is much greater than is usual. The 
toes and heel are very massive, and in such proximity at their junction as to convey 
the appearance of a membraneous connection. The impression although striking is 
not perfect, as it is not easy to make out the phalangeal impressions, still it is 
sufficiently so to render it specifically distinct from all others. It is a right foot, but 
the length of step cannot be determined as it is a solitary impression. 
Fig. 4 differs entirely from the foregoing, as it does not display the phalangeal or 
tarsal depressions, but in place of the latter there is an impression of a bushy 
appendage projecting from the heel. This example was taken from a row of six 
impressions each identical, and in all, the only impress of the central toe is its 
extremity. The step is ten inches. The expression of this footprint is striking and 
peculiar, and the specimen from which it was taken is regarded as a very interesting 
one. 
The footprint upon Plate VIII is remarkable for its immense proportions, although it 
falls far short of other gigantic impressions, which are sometimes found from fifteen 
to eighteen inches in length. The specimen from which the drawing was taken 
exceeds in dimensions the foot of any known existing bird. This species is rare, but 
I have seen rows of six or seven consecutive impressions. The stride is four feet, 
and the immense weight of the bird caused it to sink into the stratum, and 
consequently its footprints are invariably deep. The peculiar feature of this 
impression is the vast size of the heel. It does not display the usual bilobed 
divisions, but is large, circular, and very deep. The lobes of the inner and central 
toes are sufficiently distinct. The toes are in close proximity, and the weight of the 
bird compressed the resisting medium into an unusual degree of smoothness. There 
are, however, some slight fractures in the long toe caused by the separation of the 
strata. 
