Mudge discovered Ichthyornis in 1872. While he initially planned to ship the specimen to Cope, he heard of Othniel Charles Marsh's interest and sent it instead to his former acquaintance from Connecticut.
Ichthyornis was discovered by Mudge in 1872. He had initially planned to send the specimen to Cope, but after being informed about Marsh's interest, he decided to forward it to a former acquaintance from Connecticut.