The Washington times., 1920-08-15
By DR.. w. Fl. Ballou.

~ ACK about Q million or so years ago,
* during what 10 now called the Juras-
- sic Period, when most OF the earth
Was steaming swamp, Nature carried on
what was certainly her most fantastic ex-
periments in animal making. This was
the time OF the dinosaurs, gigantic reptil-
Inn creatures whose weird, nightmarish
shapes we're strongly suggestive that
Mother Nature had an extreme case OF
creative Indigestion after q course OF cos
mic Welsh rarebit. AS matter OF fact
she was specializing In bulk at that time
al the expense Of brain. Ages afterward
she had learned her lesson and the dino
SPURS were wiped out.
But among this collection OF monsters
n6ae has SO interested modern men OF
science, who by studying the fossil book
of the earth are restoring this erased page,
than the creature named Stegosaurus.
Stegosaurus ran from fourteen to twenty
eight feet between the shoulders Of his
torelegs and those Of his back legs. His
tail ran about the same length. Neck and
head ranged from six to ten feet. The
average Stegosaurus was about thirty feet
long from the tip of his bird-beaked head
70 the end Of his pronged tail, and stood
about twelve feet high at the hips. The
forelegs were extremely short; the back
legs almost three times as long and in
manner kangarooish. 1t was not, however,
his size. that aroused the curiosity Of
science and set Stegosaurus apart. 1t was
g most extraord nary equipment of huge
plates in double file all along its back.
For nearly half a century every paleon-
toIogist in the world has attempted to ex-
plain the reason for these plates and there
have been more harsh words passed over
Jhe remains Stegosaurus than over any
other animal past or present.
suThis con Sroversy has now been set def
nitely at rest by the astonishing discovery
that in the Stegosaurus Nature was trying
her apprentice hand at the first aeroplane!
This discovery came about through the
finding of a perfect specimen with skull
and the masses of skeleton bones joined
together just as they we're in life, speci-
men so complete that from it the experts
ofcthe National Museum at Washington,
iwhels II was sent, had no difficulty in re-
constructing the whole musculature Of the
creature and what they believe to be al
mest a Photographic appearance of it in
Tfe.
he first inkling of the truth came when
it was certain that the series of myster-
fous plates which ranged from just behind
its head two-thirds down its tail were not
attached to the spinal column, as had been
Thought They were not bone, but of
horny nature, flexible and easily manipu-
lated by the muscles of the great body.
'srThe plates were, in fact gliding sur
faces, immeasurably like those OF the
planes OF to-day, which could be raised or
lowered at the instance OF their owners,
carrying the huge bodies through the air
ial gigantic leaps or enabling their owners
~ .glide down through the s,r from one
elevation to lower one. Furthermore, II
was found that the weight Of this dinosaur
was not nearly so sgreat as had been
surmised. It's great bones we're hollow.
like thn-e Ct the birds, and contained large
air chambers. There is evidence that the
Plates or planes were very light and buoy
ant
1.-The little flying squirrel progresses
through the air today somewhat as this
dinosaur did ages ago. Its skin forms
surface by which II is enabled to volplane
from heights to the ground or from limb to
LIMB of the trees, Back In the steaming
Jurassic time the stegossurus was the
eeird and titanic dying squirrel OF It's age.
With Its huge plates placed alternately on
each side Of it, back Il could depress these
tG form planes that buoyed II in q swift
rush from elevation 10 elevation, or that
l'ke the old gliders from which the aero
riane was evolved, lifted up the body un-
Ger the driving impetus OF the enormous
hi1d legs, carrying II IN flight Tor hundreds
6f feet. A weird spectacle, indeed, II man
mould have seen IL, must have been the
sosrings OF these monsters, But many
Thousands OF years had still 10 pass before
even the hairy ancestors OF man could
seOe've
4rof course, the stegossurus could not ~
Ike the birds. Even II the reptile had
tapped its plates ever so swiftly Il could
rot have risen above the sround by their
rsans alone. II had, nevertheless, partial
tommand OF the afr and so is entitled 10
he considered the father OF all heavier.
,tAan-ar machines.