d size of each muscle were represented by a broad strip
of paper extending from its origin to its insertion. The action and
play of the muscles on the limb of the Brontosaurus could then be
studied, and the bones adjusted until a proper and mechanically
correct pose was reached. The limbs were then permanently mounted in
these poses, and the skeleton as it stands is believed to represent,
as nearly as study of the fossil enables us to know, a characteristic
position that the animal actually assumed during life....

"In proportions and appearance the Brontosaurus was quite unlike any
living animal. It had a long thick tail like the lizards and
crocodiles, a long, flexible neck like an ostrich, a thick short,
slab-sided body and straight, massive, post-like limbs suggesting the
elephant, and a remarkably small head for the size of the beast. The
ribs, limb-bones and tail-bones are exceptionally solid and heavy; the
vertebrae of the back and neck, and the skull, on the contrary are
constructed so as to combine the minimum of weight with the large
surface necessary for the attachment of the huge muscles, the largest
possible articulating surfaces, and the necessary strength at all
points of strain. For this purpose they are constructed with an
elaborate system of braces and buttresses of thin bony plates
connecting the broad articulating surfaces and muscular attachments,
all the bone between these thin plates being hollowed into a
complicated system of air-cavities. This remarkable structure can be
best seen in the unmounted skeleton of _Camarasaurus_, another
Amphibious Dinosaur." (The scientific name _Camarasaurus_=chambered
lizard, has reference to this peculiarity of construction.)

"The teeth of the Brontosaurus indicate that it was an herbivorous
animal, feeding on soft vegetable food. Three opinions as to the
habitat of Amphibious Dinosaurs have been held by scientific
authorities. The first, advocated by Professor Owen, who described the
first specimens found sixty years ago (1841-60) and supported
especially by Professor Cope, has been most generally adopted. This
regards the animals as spending their lives entirely in shallow water,
partly immersed, wading about on the bottom, or perhaps occasionally
swimming, but unable to emerge entirely upon dry land.[12] More
recently, Professor Osborn has advocated the view that they resorted
occasionally to the land for egg laying or other purposes, and still
more recentl