Manus and Beak

["Jaime Headden" <jaemei@hotmail.com>]

A few things I've noticed:

*COMPSOGNATHUS'* MANUS

The manus of *C. longipes* (I include "C. corallestris" here) has three 
metacarpals, all with jointed distal ends. The phalangeal evidence for 
these manus suggest two digits, but this is pretty inconclusive, for the 
bones are scattered in both specimens. But what I have noted is that, 
even if digit III was present, the joint of mc III is so small (1/5 or 
less surface area of mcII) that the digit attached to it would have 
been, at best, two or one phalanges, even a micro-sized stub, and almost 
unserviceable. This is how I restored the hand in the library display 
picture, which I hope to scan in and place sometime very soon.

THE MANDIBLE OF *SHANTUNGOSAURUS*

This is an unusual jaw in dinosaurs, mimicked only by *Caenagnathasia*, 
where the anterior of the jaw is blunt and vertically oriented, in a 
sort of shovel. And what if that's what it was used for? It might make 
sense, but what would have been the diet of a shovel-jawed hadrosaurs, 
and what Shandong paleoflora is known that might suggest diet? For that 
matter, what is the type of strata is the Wangshi[h] Series, from whence 
this immense ornitopod comes from?

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A personal note: I got the small theropods montage done, but was unable 
to find room for *Syntarsus*. :-(

However, all forms being so birdlike or within the Tetanurae, and 
reflecting both mine, Greg's, and some others' viewpoints, I feathered 
all forms, to varying degrees, with Compso and Sino with the long 
protofeathers, changing the pattern of feather-fur on Compso just a 
little. These will be posted at a yet to be detirmined site when I get 
them onto the computer.

Jaime A. Headden

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