the pose to the particular action; the head of the animal was lifted a
little, one hind foot planted upon the carcass, while the other,
resting upon the ground bears most of the weight. The fore feet, used
in these animals only for fighting or for tearing their prey, not for
support, are given characteristic attitudes, and the whole pose
represents the Allosaurus devouring the carcass and raising head and
fore foot in a threatening manner as though to drive away intruders.
The balance of the various parts was carefully studied and adjusted
under direction of the curator. The preparation and mounting of the
specimen were done by Mr. Adam Hermann, head preparator, and his
assistants, especially Messrs. Falkenbach and Lang.

[Illustration: Fig. 12.--Restoration of Allosaurus by C.R. Knight.
_After Osborn_]

"As now exhibited in the Dinosaur Hall, this group gives to the
imaginative observer a most vivid picture of a characteristic scene in
that bygone age, millions of years ago, when reptiles were the lords
of creation, and 'Nature, red in tooth and claw' had lost none of her
primitive savagery, and the era of brute force and ferocity showed
little sign of the gradual amelioration which was to come to pass in
future ages through the predominance of superior intelligence."

_Appearance and Habits of Allosaurus._ A study of the mechanism of the
Allosaurus skeleton shows us in the first place that the animal is
balanced on the hind limbs, the long heavy tail making an adequate
counterpoise for the short compact body and head. The hind limbs are
nine feet in length when extended, about equal to the length of the
body and neck, and the bones are massively proportioned. When the
thigh bone is set in its normal position, as indicated by the position
of the scars and processes for attachment of the principal muscles
(see under Brontosaurus for the method used to determine this), the
knee bends forward as in mammals and birds, not outward as in most
modern reptiles. The articulations of the foot bones show that the
animal rested upon the ends of the metapodials, as birds and many
mammals do, not upon the sole of the foot like crocodiles or lizards.
The flat vertebral joints show that the short compact body was not as
flexible as the longer body of crocodiles or lizards, in which the
articulations are of the ball and socket type showing that in them
this region was very flexible. The tail also shows a limited
flexibility. It