The Delta independent., 1916-06-09

bone either of a tapir or of any other
creature known to zoology. 1t belongs
to very large, very strong and, by
all analogy, very fierce animal which
exists upon the face of the earth, but
has not yet come under the notice of
science. You are still unconvinced?'
81 am at least deeply interested"
"Then your case is not hopeless. l
feel that there is reason lurking in you
somewhere. so we will patiently grope
round for 1t.
1--WE will now leave the dead Ameri-
can and proceed with my narrative.
You can imagine that l could hardly
come away from the Amazon without
probing deeper into the matter. There
were indications as to the direction
from which the dead traveller had
come. Indian legends would alone
have been my guide, for 1 found that
rumors of a strange land were COM
mon among all the riverine tribes. 1t
was my business to find out more"
"What did you do?" My f1ippancy
was all gone. This massive man com
PEELED ones attention and respect.
81 overcame the extreme reluctance
of the natives-a reluctance which ex-
tends even to talk upon the subject
and by judicious persuasion and gifts,
aided, l will admit, by some threats
of coercion, got two of them to act
as guides. After many adventures
which | need not describe, and after
travelling distance which l will not
mention, in n direction which l with
hold, we came at last to a tract of
country which has never been de-
scribed nor, indeed, visited save by
my unfortunate predecessor. Would
you kindly look at this?"
he handed me photograph, half
plate size.
'The unsatisfactory appearance of it
is due to the fact said he, that on
descending the river the boat was up
set and the case which contained the
undeveloped films was broken, with
disastrous results. Nearly all of them
were totally ruined-an irreparable
loss This is one of the few which
partially escaped"
The photograph was certainly very
on colored. An unkind critic might
easily have misinterpreted that dim
surface. 1t was a dull gray landscape.
and as gradually deciphered the de-
tails Of it realized that 1t represented
long and enormously high line of
cliffs exactly like an immense cata-
ract seen in the distance, with a slop-
ing. tree clad plain in the foreground.
81 believe it is the same place as the
painted picture" said I.
''It is the same place." the professor
answered. 81 found traces of the fel-
lows camp Now look at this
1t was a nearer view of the same
scene. though the photograph was ex-
tremely defective. / could distinctly
see an isolated. tree crowned pinnacle
of rock which was detaches from the
crag.
"I have no doubt of it at ALL" said l.
'Well. that is something gained"
said he. I'VE progress. do we not?
Now. will you please look at the top of
that rocky pinnacle? Do you observ,
something thereT'
IAN enormous tree
But on the tree!
"a large Bird said l.
He handed me lens.
yes" l said, peering through it, "a
large bird stands on the tree. 1t ap-
pears to have "A considerable beak. /
should say it was pelican"
81 cannot congratulate you upon
your eyesight," said the professor 1T
is not pelican. nor. indeed. is 1t a
bird. 1t may interest you to know
that / succeeded in shooting that par
ticular specimen. 1t was the only alb
solute proof of my experiences which
Y III RAJ
"a monstrous bat.' I suggested
Nothing of the sort" said the pro-
fessor severely. Living. as ! do. in
an educated and scientific atmosphere,
/ could not have conceived that the
nrst principles of zoology were SO lit
tie known. Is It possible that you
DO not know the elementary fact in
comparative anatomy that the wing
Of bird is really the forearm. while
the wing of bat consists of three
elongated fingers with membranes be-
tween? Now. In this case the bone is
certainly not the forearm, and you can
see for yourself that this is single
membrane hanging upon single bone
and therefore that 1t cannot belong to
. bat. But, If It is neither bird nor
bat. what is itY'
Ny small stock OF knowledge was
exhausted.
II really do not know" said /.
He opened the standard work to
which he had already referred me.
"Here." said he. pointing to the pic
ture of an extraordinary flying mon.
ster. "is an excellent reproduction OF
the dimorphodon. or pterodactyl. a fly
ing reptile of the Jurassic period. Or
the next page IL diagram Of the
mechanism of Its wing. Kindly com