Identifier: naturalsciencemo02lond (find matches)
Title: Natural science: a monthly review of scientific progress
Year: 1893 (1890s)
Authors:
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Publisher: London (etc.), Macmillan and Company (etc.)
Contributing Library: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library

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ed Dinosaurs, and mail-clad Dinosaurs,all and every one of which are creatures more like the phantoms of adream than any we should naturally have thought of as denizens ofthis world of ours. Hitherto we have known these marvellous creatures only bytheir skeletons; and although these are, perhaps, fully sufficient forthe scientific student, yet it is quite clear that they do not arousethe enthusiasm of the public, by whom they are doubtless not understanded. Now, however, thanks to our author and hisartist, we have them depicted in at least some semblance of theiroriginal guise, the artist having taken the skeleton as his model ineach case, and clothed it in flesh and skin as best he might. When we take into consideration the extreme difficulty of thistask, we cannot but think that the draughtsman has acquitted him- 2 We were surprised to see the other day in the Times the statement thatSir R. Owen restored the Megathere from a single bone. 1893. THE RESTORATION OF EXTINCT ANIMALS. 137
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138 NATURAL SCIENCE. Feb.. self well, and more than well; and any criticisms that we may haveto make must be looked upon rather as suggestions than as indicatinga carping spirit. One of the most striking restorations in the book is that of theHorned Cretaceous Dinosaur forming the frontispiece, which weare enabled to reproduce (Fig. i). Now, so far as regards the head andbody, there is little room for criticism, but the case is very differentwhen we come to the limbs. In the first place, we are led to askwhy the artist took for his model—as we are fain to suppose he did—an Ungulate Mammal instead of a Crocodile in his restoration ofthe hind-limbs. That is to say, we wish to know why the uppersegment of the hind-limb (femur) is included in the common integu-ment of the body, instead of being, as in the Crocodile, free. Weshould, indeed, have thought it much safer to follow thecrocodilian model in this respect. Then, again, we have greatestdoubts as to whether the creature ever had

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