The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-03
BUILDING THIN Up
How Extinct Animals Are Re-
produced by Scientists.
MULTITUDE Of BONES
Makes the Task Easier Now
Than Earlier.

book story Of Cuvier's ability TO recon
struct a whole animal Of a past era from
one bone must prepare to revise their
impressions of pathology. In the late
annual report Of the Smithsonian Insti-
tute appears a paper by Frederick A.
Lucas. attaching curator Of the section
OF vetrabate fossils in the National Mu-
Scum, on THE Restoration OF Extinct
Animals" which calls attention TO the
fact that laws correlation which was the
basis of Culviers reservations is not o.
Universal application. It is generally trus
that the retractor claws of a cat would
be found in company with teeth fitted for
devouring flesh. and horns and hoofs with
teeth adapted to cropping grass and
Chewing The cud; but later discoveries
Of fossil remains have proved that it is
Unsafe to count upon these combinations
as invariable The gigantic figures of
extinct animals which every visitor TO
the Sydenham Crystal Palace has noticed
were constructed on insufficient data.
and II they were to be made now wou q
undoubtedly approach much nearer the
truth of science. Our restorers are still
obliged to depend upon certain generau-
cations derived from their observation
Of combinations in animal nature today.
but so many Of the secrets of the prehis-
toric geological strata have been revealed
within the last few years that we hare
made a long forward stride in the art Of
reconstruction.
Mr.. Lucas illustrates the method now
pursued in building up an image of a PIE
historic animal for museum purposes by
the case of the great reptile known as the
triceTatops. or three horn face, "of which
2 PAPER mache skeleton was prepared
for The Buffalo exposition and a small
model Of the entire animal made to shos
what it probably looked like when roam
Ing the earth. Only fractions Of the real
skeleton have yet been found, but enough
bones to distinguish it as a reptile and
not a mammal, bird or fish We have
most of the head with its Formidable
looking horns and with indications that
the skull ended in a beak something like
that Of a swapping turtle. Although the
lower jaw is lacking, it is reasoned from
analogy that this ended in a beak to
match that Of the skull. Had the hind
legs been approximately long, it would
have indicated that the animal often or
habitualy walked erect; but as there is
pnly enough difference between fore and
hind legs to permit Of browsing com
fortably from the ground, and the skull is
SO large that the creature would have
been tor heavy if it had stood upright, it
has been placed on all tours. Small limbs
Ia comparison with other bones would be
Interpreted as meaning their owner pass
ed his life in the water; while solid bones
means either a sluggish animal or one of
more or less aquatic habit Though few
bones of the feet have been found, the
law of probabilities suggests three toes
on the hind foot and five on the front foot |
two Of the latter devoid of claws The |
single blunt, round claw among the bones /
found shows like the teeth, that the ami 4
NAL was herbiverous; the fact that it /
points a little downward also indicates |
that in the living animal the sole of the /
foot was thick, soft pad, somewhat as |
1t Is in the elephant and rhinoceros, and /
that the toes were not entirely free from |
one another. Less than a dozen verte- /
brae, and still fewer ribs, with a few /
scattered pieces, offer the only basis for /
reconsuucting a backbone twenty feet /
long. The restoration is finished with a |
tail Of moderate length, indicated by the |
rapid taper of the few vertebrate avail /
able: and these suggest. too that in life (
the tail was long and not fattened, and /
that It served neither for swimming nor
for a balancing pole.
Reference has been made to the law Of
probability. The scientific corps have en-
ieavored to restrict this law with reas-
onable limits. but some of its elements
are interesting. It appears TO be a uni
versal rule. for instance. that q bird is
clothed In feathers, for in contempOrane-
ous nature no other creature has feathers
and no bird is without them. although
they may be so modified as to throw
doubt at first upon their identity. An
,thcr general proposition regarding birds
s that water fowl have thick and close
Gathers, and that strictly terrestrial bird
Ike the ostrich, have plumes which are
AK and long; but this rule must be
guarded IN its application on account of
such cases as that of the penguin, which
since it depends for warmth upon its
ar. rather than its feathers. has feath-
RS with characteristics Of both scales
nd hairs. Hair and fur belong 10 NAM
nails only though the wholly marine
whales have a smooth and slippery skin
ven adapted 20 moving through the
water. relying for warmpth on a thick
indcrshirt OF blubbor. The hairless seals,
yhich pass much Of their time on the ice.
ESQ depend for warmth upon their blub-
5r and have only enough hair TO keep
heir skim from absolute contact with ice;
~ the other hand the fur seals. though
eriving most Of their warmth from their
az, have "a coat Of FUR and hair as ,
hey spend much Of the year on land.
N-.-re !
o be assumed in the case of reptile. .
ret great variety of plates ard scales
fer themselves for choice The recon ;
tructcr is puzzled often IL know where ?
q supply such ornamental features as q
alds and frills. crests. ard dewlaps which c
e ind among the live reptiles of cur :
me. and OF which The material is too J
agile % leave fossil traces. About the z
-ly safe rule to follow IS TO restrict these Y
; such places on the body as would in ?
are their not gettinE needlessly in tho
-av 81 the animal activity Following d
- same general analogy. we should c
OF give q clnosaur a smooth. rubbery j
.de and show him walking about on dry v
md. for only exclusively aQuatic Great s
res IKE whales among mammals ard 2
,1auanaors among batrachains are +
othed with such "a skin. This does not t
-eclude the Idea that an aquatic creature Z
irht sometimes venture out OF the water [
al when we ind vertebrae i'll adapted r
IT carrying the weight of land animal z
1t Ia company with hush limbs and feet. 2
is FAR to guess that their owner passed Z
least part of his time on the dry r
nth g
II VIII not DO to jump too hasty 70 con- S
usiors from our mental association with @
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