“Not until you and Denise have eaten,” Pete said firmly. Chuck noticed that the cook still carried his rifle slung over his shoulder. He wondered now why he had ever doubted Pete’s loyalty. He hugged his knees to his chest as Pete started a fire. Masterson was in animated conversation with the doctors. Gardel was standing off by himself, leisurely puffing on a cigarette. Chuck saw Denise lying on a blanket in the center of the camp. He got up, staggering a little when he discovered his legs weren’t as strong as he’d thought, and then walked over to her.
“Hi,” he said, “enjoy your morning swim?”
“Oh, delightful,” she answered. “Nothing like a swim to give you an appetite.”
“Nope, my brother always used to say-” He cut himself short, wondering how he had planned to complete the sentence. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what Owen always used to say. Something about swimming, of course. But what?
“Do you feel all right, Chuck?”
He snapped his attention back to Denise. “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I hear they really had to tear
“I guess it was all that water I drank,” Denise said, laughing lightly. “You see, I prefer orange juice in the morning.”
“Of course,” Chuck said. “I understand completely.”
They both laughed loudly and then stopped short when they heard a loud, raucous voice begin a song.
“Oh no,” Chuck moaned. “He’s making up his own lyrics now!”
But this time, Chuck joined in the chorus.
They started out for the twin rocks after Chuck and Denise had eaten. Dr. Dumar kept running ahead like an eager cocker spaniel, picking up rocks wherever he found them, carrying a large instrument case in one hand and his specimens in the other.
Dr. Perry, on the other hand, stayed close to Chuck, pointing out the various flora and fauna of the period. On one occasion, when the flurry of wings overhead announced a visitor, Chuck looked up, fully expecting to see a pterosaur. He was surprised when he saw one of the most awkward-looking creatures he’d ever seen in his life.
The animal had distinctive bird features: a beak, feathered wings, and it was-of course-flying. But there the resemblance ended, for it also had a very long tail and the toothed jaws of a reptile.
“That, my friend,” Dr. Perry said, “is one of the first birds. His name is
Chuck shook his head slowly. “It doesn’t look very much like a bird. It looks more like… like… a flying squirrel or something.”
“No,” Dr. Perry said. “Most zoologists agree that
Chuck looked up at the flying creature and blinked his eyes. “That tail…”
“As a matter of fact,” Dr. Perry interrupted, “the tail is possibly its most interesting characteristic. In modern birds, the tail proper is shortened to a rudiment ending in a large bone, with the feathers radiating from it to form a tail fan. But take a look at this customer.”
His finger pointed up at the bird, tracing its tail as it moved in awkward, flapping flight.
“His tail is as long as the rest of his vertebral column. It consists of twenty-one joints, with the tail feathers in pairs on each side.”
“What does it all mean?” Chuck asked.
“It’s significant only in that the tail fan of
“Being vertebrated you mean?”
“Why yes, exactly.” Dr. Perry nodded his head appreciatively.
“What does
“It means ‘primordial winged creature.’”
“And
“That simply means ‘long-tailed.’”
“A long-tailed, primordial winged creature,” Chuck said. “That’s quite a mouthful. It’s easier to say
Dr. Perry smiled. “Yes, it is.” He paused and said, “Many zoologists felt that the reptilian characteristics dominated and that it should be called a birdlike reptile, rather than a reptilian bird. One thing is certain, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Birds evolved from reptiles.”
“Mmmm.”
“But they did not necessarily evolve from pterosaurs or flying reptiles.”
“I see,” Chuck said.
Dr. Perry smiled again. “You must forgive me for running on like this. I sometimes get carried away and forget that I’m not in front of a classroom giving a lecture.”
“I didn’t mind at all,” Chuck said honestly.