Fossil Bird Stuff

["Jonathan R. Wagner" <znc14@ttacs1.ttu.edu>]

Jeff martz wrote:
>   It seems to me like the presence of a rachis is the only possible
>impediment to feathers having originally served as insulation before being
>adapted for flight. 
        In response to the apparent lack of enthusiasm for going back
through the archives to find my earlier posting which debunks this little
line of reasoning, I have placed that posting on my web page at the
following URL.  I urge everyone to read it before going on with this topic.
        http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~jrw6f/feather.htm

My posting on the avain digit homology problem may be found at:
        http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~jrw6f/digit.htm

       I would like to point anyone interested in fossil bird work to the
article co-written by Feduccia:
        Hou, L., Martin, L.D., Zhou, Z, and Feduccia, A. 1996. Early Adaptive
Radiation of Birds: Evidence from Fossils form Northeastern China. Science
174: 1164-1167
        Amongst other things, the outgrouping of the character matrix used
for their phylogenetic hypothesis, and therefore character polarity therein,
seems to be potentially inadequate.  I am composing a preliminary analysis
of potential flaws in the outgrouping, and it should be available at the
following URL:
 
       http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~jrw6f/birds.htm

        These documents will be posted later today.

        Wagner

"Happiness at least, sir..."
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jonathan R. Wagner                    "You can clade if you want to,     |
| Department of Geosciences              You can leave your friends behind |
| Texas Tech University                  Because your friends don't clade  |
| Lubbock, TX 79409                               and if they don't clade, |
|       *** wagner@ttu.edu ***           Then they're no friends of mine." |
|           Web Page:  http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~jrw6f             |
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