"What is this?" asked Stegosaurus. "Why, this looks like a cake! It must be my birthday again; it is the only time I see a cake about. This year I am 140 Million and 14 years old. Cakes are not as good as Picea pungens, or a nice aloe plant, but they are a birthday tradition; I remember when they were invented, too. Cakes are an odd invention; it takes no plants to make a cake, really. In many ways I prefer pies ... pies often have fruit in them a lot more often than cakes do. BUT, especially at 140 Million and 14, I am a creature of tradition set in all my ways. So, knowing that cakes are traditional, I always default to the most widely known birthday tradition, and that tradition is cake."

"I hope you are having as great a day as I am; I am in my cave resting my claws after my long trip to England, so I have nothing to do today except celebrate my birthday. I hope you take the time to celebrate and appreciate your birthday. I am very skilled in the celebration of birthdays; I have done this celebrating well over 140 million times, so I know how to do it. It isn't hard to forget how, even with a brain the size of a walnut. If you are in town please stop by my cave and say hi. I am always open to visitors and meeting new friends. We are sure to have many adventures together!"

In mid May near the time for finals of the Spring semester, my class and I got on our rafts and floated forthrightly to the country of England as we were required to eat the trees of England for our final grade.

I thought it was an ideal time to visit my British friend Iguanodon, who was excited to hear of my arrival in his land. I did not visit with him at first, feeling obligated to take care of my studies with my classmates. Together we found a nice grove of Frangula alnus which we all enjoyed, though we were disappointed to be there too early to enjoy the fruits the trees bear in the later months of the summer. We were however, just in time to enjoy the delicious flowers that precede them. We have some of these trees in North America, introduced by mammals, but it is not common. My cousin Wuerhosaurus knows of it as it grows in parts of China; but my class and I found our grove in a lovely Sussex bog not far from the home of Iguanodon.


Next we stomped around until we found a flowery grove of Fraxinus ornus, a favorite treat of my cousin Kentrosaurus, who never fails to remind me of the reference the tree has in his Bible.

I will say that the manna advertised in that Bible is quite wonderful to eat, as well as the tree's numerous flowers. I was going to be content to reach for the lower branches, perhaps standing on my hind legs briefly to reach a select few higher up; but that was the extent to which I was willing to go. But then, one of my classmates decided to knock down a 49 foot tree with his cool, spiky tail, and we all joined in after eating the leaves and flowers that fell from the tree when it hit the ground. I decided I had to come back here with Iguanodon and share some of this Fraxinus ornus with him. I wondered how it would taste combined with Citrus bergamia. As it turned out, we all did get a few points marked off for knocking down the tree, but I admit it was worth it; that was one delicious tree.

The last tree that my class and I were required to find was one of my favorites; it was Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, which I enjoy so much because as a conifer, it reminds me of some of the extinct trees of my youth, when I was barely out of my shell. It was also introduced to the British Isles by mammals sometime last week, or perhaps around 1854. The goal for the class was to find an American tree which had been introduced in Europe, and we were successful !! The Chamaecyparis lawsoniana is native to the Western United States, being parts of Washington State and California. Now sadly this wonderfully delicious tree is under threat by Phytophthora lateralis, a terrible root disease, and my hope is that when I graduate with my Doctorate in tree disease I will be able to keep this species of tree alive.

Now we could go home to Colorado, but I wanted to visit Iguanodon, and upon hearing of my plan, my classmates asked to be sure of my location so that I would not be left behind. We all wanted to leave England together.

Thus, I did not depart England on schedule; but instead left our swamp in search of Iguanodon. It had been a while since I had visited with him, but we put our small brains together, and made an educated guess as to his location. While my classmates decided to remain behind and eat some more, I went on to the city of London, particularly the borough of Bromley where there are some monuments to dinosaurs, erected last week, or maybe just after the mammals discovered us. These are known as the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, and the place is sometimes called Dinosaur Court. I know for a fact that Iguanodon frequents that place since it was declared off limits to mammals in recent years.

I did find him indeed, grazing by his quite inaccurate Momument; If mammals see us, we will just stand very still, and they will, in spite of their larger brains, think we are one of the statues.

"Hail, Iguanodon! It is I, Stegosaurus! How goes things for you?"

"Stegosaurus!" exclaimed my fellow herbivore. "What a nice surprise! It has been so long since I have seen you!"

"Yes, indeed! I apologize for taking so long to visit you, old friend !! I hope I find you very well! I am here with my college class studying our finals and thought I'd take an opportunity to visit with you."

" How kind of you to travel all the way from Colorado USA, " said Iguanodon. I am in one of my favorite spots, next to a Monument that a nice mammal, Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins sculpted for me in the year 1854."

"It does not look anything like you," said Stegosaurus.

"I know, but it is still quite charming, and I do like it very much," rejoined Iguanodon. "It is very unfortunate you are not represented here."

"Ah, but I was not yet discovered by mammals in 1854; and I have many Monuments in my native land of Colorado. I was discovered early enough that the mammals consider me a "classic" dinosaur, whatever that means; but you and the others represented here, you are the real trailblazers. "

I told my friend of the trees that my classmate and I had already consumed. We both expressed concern over the root disease afflicting the Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, and I asked him what trees and foliage he had enjoyed lately.

"Sometimes I dine at Epppings Forest or Oxley's Wood; at times I stomp over to Lincolnshire to visit the Bowthorpe Oak but I don't dare eat any of it out of respect for the fact that it is 1,000 years old."

"You have a lot of acres here, " observed Stegosaurus.

"Yes, 200 in fact," said Iguanodon. "Why, I can fondly remember when this area was nothing but Quercus dalechampii trees."

"Let us go stomp forthrightly to the Stambourne Woods and see if there are any Quercus dalechampii to eat. After mentioning the Bowthorpe I am really craving some oak, but like you don't want to eat THAT particular oak out of the deepest respect for its age."

Iguanodon and I went right away to the Stambourne woods, which are part of Crystal Palace Park and heartily ate some Quercus dalechampii we found there.

We ate some of the Fraxinus ornus I had been so excited about. We dined on Caprifoliaceae , Primula polyantha, and Lysimachia nemorum. I particularly enjoyed the varieties that I cannot readily find in the States.

I asked Iguanodon,

"You seem well set here, friend. How have things been of late? I apologize for not staying in touch more often."

"No worries, friend Stegosaurus. I take no offense to your absence though it is quite good to see you. I content myself to dine here at the Crystal Palace; sometimes I go to the swamp in Sussex, just North of here where you studied with your classmates. I've been taking a low profile in very recent years. It seems the paleo artists don't draw or paint me as much as they used to in years past. It bothered me at first, but I relaxed after a time and adjusted to my lower profile status. Sometimes I speak with other dinosaurs represented here if they feel so inclined to visit; particularly Megalosaurus, who in spite of being a carnivore is rather laid back and not as much a threat to me as one might think at first. I think the fact that he's still not fully discovered even though he was the first dinosaur discovered weighs heavily on him, and has given him a sense of humility not usually seen in our carnivore friends. I've really gotten into landscaping around here and it turns out that I really enjoy that line of work. So that is how I keep myself busy."

"I am so glad to hear it, and I promise to visit you more often henceforth, and I hope you will someday come to America and visit me in Colorado. It is now time, though, I am sorry to say for me to reconnect with my class and float forthrightly home; we've all agreed to depart together."

"Very well, my old friend," said Iguanodon. "I promise that I will visit with you, and we will eat some lovely Picea pungens together. It has been awhile since I have had Picea pungens and you know they go so well with Citrus bergamia. I am British, and I do love my tea."

Thus, I bid Iguanodon farewell, returned to the Sussex swamp where I met my classmates, and we all returned to the United States without any incident. I had a lovely visit, and as it turns out passed my final exam on the trees of England. We got some points taken off, yes, but it was also noted that I had observed the root disease of the Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, and I am content.

Stegosaurus Cowsay

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The Race To Revive Woolly Mammoths Using Ancient DNA

Au mois de février, Stégosaurus a décidé de passer du temps au Canada pour rendre visite à son ami Styracosaurus. Il a rappelé que son comptable Corythosaures avait remarqué l'été dernier que Styracosaurus l'avait invité au Canada pour manger des caféiers. En outre, Stégosaurus avait rassemblé une belle Acer negundo quand il était en visite en Géorgie, aux États-Unis pour la Thanksgiving, et il voulait la donner en cadeau à Styracosaurus.

Il est donc monté sur son radeau et a flotté directement au Canada où Styracosaurus l'a rencontré en Alberta.

"Salut et bienvenue, mon ami Stégosaure !"dit Styracosaurus avec exubérance. "Corythosaures m'a dit que vous comptiez me rendre visite bientôt et je suis tellement heureux de vous voir. Ça fait longtemps que j’ai trouvé ces belles plantes de café pour vous. J'espère que vous apprécierez votre visite au Canada. Nous allons avoir un grand temps."

"Je suis heureux d'être ici et heureux de vous voir", a déclaré Stégosaure. "J'ai passé la Thanksgiving en Géorgie et je t'ai apporté un cadeau. C'est un joli spécimen D'Acer negundo et j'espère que vous l'aimerez."

"Je suis absolument ravi, Stégosaure !!! Merci !!!!!! C’est gentil !"dit Styracosaurus.

"Voulez-vous manger maintenant ?"

"Je pense que j'aimerais le planter et le laisser pousser. Ils sont assez copieux et grandissent rapidement. Dans un court laps de temps, j'ai plus qu'un, je pourrais avoir un joli bosquet d'entre eux dans quelques années."

"J'admire votre retenue, Styracosaurus. Vous avez toujours été plus d'un défenseur de l'environnement."

"Viens, Stégosaure. Allons planter L'Acer negundo et ensuite nous commencerons avec un joli Pinus banksia na avant de passer aux plants de café."

Les deux bons amis ont trouvé un Pinus banksia na excellent et mature que Stégosaurus a trouvé tout à fait délicieux.

"Je devrais manger Pinus banksia na plus souvent. C'est vraiment bon. Vous savez vraiment comment faire pousser des arbres au Canada", a déclaré Stégosaurus.

Puis les deux amis ont continué à consommer leur plat principal de plantes de café, (que Styracosaurus avait fait importer de Columbia) et Stégosaurus a pensé à demander à propos de son comptable Corythosaures.

"J'ai invité Corythosaures à dîner avec nous", a déclaré Styracosaurus, mais il ne peut pas le faire pour le moment, car c'est la saison des impôts."

"Corythosaures est toujours si occupé. J'admire l'habileté avec laquelle il exerce sa profession. Il est vraiment intelligent, et il fait un bon pain."

"Je n'ai jamais eu de pain cuit par Corythosaurus. “dit Styracosaurus.

"Il ne fait pas toujours du pain, Mais quand il le fait, c'est très bon. dit Stégosaure. "Alors, comment les choses se sont-elles passées au Canada ?"

"Les choses sont très bien, Stégosaure. Je me suis concentré sur le bosquet de Pinus banksia na que nous venons de manger et les caféiers ; donc je n'ai pas du tout suivi ce que les mammifères font ici.

De mon observation il n’a pas de météores qui tombent du ciel ici, donc tout doit être bien", a déclaré Styracosaurus.

J'ai ensuite raconté à Styracosaurus la malheureuse mésaventure que Congressaurus Triceratops et moi avons eu avec les concombres.

"Très malheureux", dit Styracosaurus, essayant poliment de ne pas rire. "Je suis sûr que si vous l'avez déjà fait, vous pouvez le faire à nouveau. N'abandonnez pas !"

Ensuite, nous avons trouvé un joli bosquet D'Abies balsamea. Styracosaurus a dit : "Oh ! Regarde ! Abies balsamea !!!! Saviez-vous que l'Abies balsamea ne représente que 3% des résineux de l'Alberta ? Un vrai régal ! J'insiste, Stégosaure, les invités d'abord."

"Merci, Styracosaurus, c'est très gentil de votre part." J'ai observé en peu de temps" l'Abies balsamea est en effet assez délicieux. Merci bien."

"Rien de tel nulle part ailleurs dans le monde, mais ce n'est pas tout ce que nous avons ici."

"Allons-nous manger tous les arbres au Canada ?"

"Non, imaginez ce que cela ferait à la nappe phréatique. De plus ce serait impoli."

"Vous avez un point."

"Bien que planter des arbres à ce moment-là serait un excellent travail pour l’aide de l'agence de secours en cas de catastrophe, Stégosaurus."

Ensuite, nous avons divisé entre nous un couple de Corycus cornu ta."

"J'aime parfois manger le Corycus cornu ta avec des plantes de café", a déclaré Styracosaurus.

"Je préfère mes plantes de café droites", a déclaré Stégosaurus. "Mais c'est encore mieux que les stupides mammifères qui moulent et brassent les grains de plantes de café.

"Un mystère mammifère. “a observé Styracosaurus.

"Je pense toujours que mouler et brasser des plantes de café sera une mode de courte durée. Je pense que seulement une moule d'un million d'années."

"Nous avons terminé notre repas le premier jour avec un bon repas de Pinus contorta, qui représente 41% du stock de conifères en Alberta. Je plaisantais à propos de manger tous les arbres au Canada, mais il est vrai que ce que Styracosaurus et moi faisions est une faveur à la ville. L'un de mes emplois à la maison est la gestion forestière, et doit être bien fait, il est bon et sain pour la croissance de la forêt de ne pas la laisser envahir. Ce n'était pas ma seule visite. Styracosaurus m'a invité à profiter de son hospitalité tout au long du mois de février. Une invitation pour laquelle j’étais très heureux."

Salut, je m'appelle Lexovissaurus !!!
Quand ma charmante épouse est revenue de la Chine, elle est partie en vacances pour se retrouver et nous avons passé les vacances ensemble à la maison en France.
Une fois la saison des fêtes terminée, je lui ai de nouveau adressé la question de ma non-existence.
"Cher Loricatosaurus," dis-je, "Que diriez-vous d'une belle visite prolongée de nos amis nomen dubium Agathaumas et Trachodon ? Je pense qu'il pourrait être bénéfique pour moi d'être nouvellement inexistant, de passer plus de temps avec d'autres dinosaures qui sont nomen dubium aussi. "
"Je pense que c'est une excellente idée, mon amour", a-t-elle dit, " Tu vas découvrir après tout qu'être nomen dubium n'est pas si différent que d'être éteint et tu vas pouvoir tout aussi bien vivre dubium nomen heureux et plein de vie que tu pourras être éteint. "
"Et, cela peut aussi t’être avantageux, si un jour la science décide que tu n'existais pas non plus,"
"Vraiment. Pourquoi ne les invitons-nous pas à brouter dans la forêt que Kentrosaurus et vous avez plantée pour moi ? Je suis sûr qu'ils apprécieront, étant également des herbivores."
"Une excellente et très généreuse idée."
Et c'est ainsi que nous avons envoyé les invitations, qui ont été acceptées avec plaisir et nous avons commencé à préparer pour les invités. Tout d'abord, depuis la fin de la saison, nous avons mangé les décorations vertes de Noël (Stégosaurus Claus, avait bien sûr mangé notre arbre), puis nous sommes allés dans la forêt de Loricatosaurus et inspecté les arbres là-bas pour nous assurer qu'ils étaient sains et comestibles.
En l'espace d'un mois, Agathaumas et Trachodon sont arrivés en France en radeau et nous ont salués joyeusement.
"Ravi de vous rencontrer tous les deux", a déclaré Agathaumas, "Vous êtes le cousin français de notre ami Stégosaurus, n'est-ce pas ?"
"Oui en effet," dis-je. "Nous avons entendu des choses si favorables de la part de notre cousin, et avec la nouvelle que je suis devenu nomen dubium, nous avons pensé que ce serait bien de pouvoir passer du temps ensemble, se connecter, et passer du temps avec des dinosaures partageant les mêmes idées pendant un certain temps. Vous pouvez rester ici dans mon merveilleux pays de France aussi longtemps que vous le souhaitez, nous pouvons vous emmener visiter des sites d'intérêt pour les dinosaures, les mammifères et des endroits particuliers importants pour nous deux. "

"Nous sommes tous les deux d'accord", a déclaré Loricatosaurus, "Soyez les bienvenus et acceptez notre hospitalité."
"Je suis sûr que nous apprécierons notre temps ici", a déclaré Trachodon. "S'il vous plaît, n'hésitez pas à poser à Agathaumas ou à moi-même toutes les questions que vous pourriez avoir sur le nomen dubium. Nous ne connaissons vraiment pas toutes les réponses à ce sujet, mais nous sommes bien expérimentés et pouvons vous apprendre comment vous adapter et ce que vous pouvez faire pour passer le temps de façon créative et productive. "
"Comme c'est gentil à vous deux", a déclaré Agathaumas.

"Nous sommes reconnaissants", a déclaré Trachodon.
"Nous vous demanderons si vous souhaitez rester dans cette belle forêt que j'ai récemment plantée au profit de ma femme, par souci de ma récente désignation de nomen dubium", ai-je dit.
Mais avant que nos invités ne puissent parler, Loricatosaurus a dit : "Je sais que c'est mon idée, et je suis toujours en faveur, mais pourrais-je suggérer une visite touristique pour nos invités lors de notre première nuit ?"
"Qu'as-tu en tête ?" J'ai demandé.

"Je suggère que nous sortions tous pour brouter dans le jardin des Tuileries ce soir", a expliqué Loricatosaurus.
"Une belle suggestion, mon cher !" J'ai dit : "C'est ici que nous nous sommes mariés et c'est un endroit très spécial pour nous."
Ainsi, nous avons décidé de tailler les arbres et les buissons au Grand Couvert des Tuileries Nous nous sommes installés sur la partie la plus contemporaine du jardin qui coupe les arbres autour de la sculpture Brushstroke Nude de Roy Lichtenstein, chez Force et Tendresse d'Eugène Dodeigne, et l'Arbre des voyelles, de Giuseppe Penone ; celui-ci est un peu déroutant car il ressemble presque à un vrai arbre. Un arbre qui est tombé. J'aurais été dupe au début, si ce n'était de ma femme diplômée de l'université. "
Le soir, nous sommes tous rentrés du Grand Couvert des Tuileries avec nos invités en remorque. Comme nous avons tous digéré ce merveilleux repas, nous avons discuté de certaines choses sur la vie en tant que dinosaure nomen dubium qui m'ont beaucoup intéressé.

"Naturellement, vous avez entendu parler de l'Agence de secours en cas de catastrophe de votre cousin Stégosaurus ...", a déclaré Agathaumas.

"Oui, bien sûr." J'ai répondu.
"Avez-vous déjà pensé à aider lors d'une catastrophe ?"
"Je ne l'ai pas fait, mais je ne serais pas opposé à l'idée."
"Il y a beaucoup de choses qu' Agathaumas et moi faisons pour l'Agence de secours, à l'insu des personnes dans le besoin et des autres membres du grand public. C'est parce que nous n'existons pas, mais cela nous donne aussi une bonne impression de pouvoir faire quelque chose de si important sans attente d’émolument. " dit Trachodon. "De plus, le fait d'être inexistant ne change pas vraiment votre vie par d'autres moyens ... par exemple, vous pouvez toujours sortir et manger des arbres dans un jardin national bien-aimé. Merci à votre cousin il y a quelques années, nous avons même été reconnus par Stégosaurus Claus et nous allons recevoir des cadeaux pour Noël. "
"Tout le monde aime les cadeaux, même l'humble dubium nomen", a déclaré Agathaumas.

"Vous pourrez toujours voyager avec moi, quand je me chercherai, et si la science détermine un jour que nous n'existons pas tous les deux, nous serons toujours ensemble. Nous vivrons ensemble dans la forêt que vous avez plantée pour moi."
"Tu as raison. Peut-être qu'être inexistant n'est pas si mal ; Ce n'est pas comme si un météore est tombé du ciel, après tout."
Et c'est ainsi que la toute première nuit où nos invités nous ont rendu visite, ils m'ont donné une tranquillité d’esprit et j'ai commencé à comprendre que ma femme avait raison dès le départ, ce qu'elle est habituellement.

Je suis heureux de reconnaître enfin que la fin n'est PAS proche. "

At Christmas time, Stegosaurus stomped forthrightly to Culver City, California in order to visit his elderly friends Dimetrodon and Nyasasaurus for the holidays.

"I really feel it most prudent to check up on the welfare of our elderly, throughout the year of course, but especially at Christmas time, when they may feel the most lonesome," said the kind, altruistic plate lizard. "This visit will be a complete surprise to my friends as I usually visit my own cousins or they visit me, over the holidays. But, this year I want to do something different, something special for my friends. It is an added benefit that I will be in the warmer climate of California. The weather of California is much more suitable than Colorado in the Christmas season."

When Stegosaurus arrived at the Dinosaur Retirement Home complex of caves Nyasasuarus was outside , and indeed surprised when he saw Stegosaurus arriving.

"What a surprise to see you, Stegosaurus! " exclaimed Nyasasuarus. "What brings you to visit? I hope you are well .... I hope you have good news!"

"I am not the bearer of bad tidings, friend! Indeed, I have come for a surprise, and my cousins all agreed that I should do it, and that was to stomp by and wish you and Dimetrodon, and, well, everyone at the Dinosaur Retirement Home community a blessed Holiday Season."

"This will get you some well earned points from Stegosaurus Claus," said Nyasasaurus.

"Perhaps so," said Stegosaurus, "But that alone is not the reason for doing it. I am genuinely concerned for you and the welfare of the good dinosaurs who live in this community."

"How kind you are," said Nyasasaurus. "Please come in, Dimetrodon is inside his retirement cave now. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you and wish you a Merry Christmas."

"Thank you," said Stegosaurus.

"Now I can tell you we have a surprise for you as well." said Nyasassaurus.

" How nice !! I will be content to rest my weary claws and visit with my friends."

Stegosaurus entered Dimetrodon's cave and was indeed immediately surprised.

"Hello, Dimetrodon! Are you surprised? I wanted to surprise you with a visit at Christmas time."

"Hail, Stegosaurus ! Nice to see you! However I feel the surprise is on you, for I am not Dimetrodon, though I look like him a lot !!"


"Well, I am pleased to meet you ~~ you look like a Dimetrodon, so the surprise is indeed on me. Who might you be?"

"I am Dimetrodon's slightly younger cousin Edaphosaurus. I am about 303 Million Years old, and because of what you did for Dimetrodon, the Dinosaur and Mythical Creature Screen Actor's Guild Local 14065 has allowed me a cave in the Retirement Home, just as they did for Dimetrodon's friend Moschops. We are so grateful to you for what you've done for us."

"It was the least I could do," said Stegosaurus. "Now if you are not Dimetrodon, where is Dimetrodon? I hope he is well."

"He is," said Edaphosaurus. "He has gone with Moschops to the beach. He enjoys the beach life, and since his retirement, dining on a surfer or two."

"Oh, that's nice. I can't say I share that particular interest, being a herbivore. But I have been to the beach and had some interaction with surfers in the past. I find them to be nice mammals, and I hope you will not hunt them to extinction."

"Fear not for surfers," said Edaphosaurus. "There are many of them, and Dimetrodon, Moschops, Nyasasaurus and I have not made them a steady diet."

"May I suggest that we all stomp down to the beach and visit with Dimetrodon and Moschops?"

"What a good idea! I would love to join you," said Nyasasaurus. "But I want you to go with Edaphosaurus while I work on surprise for you, in honor of your Christmas visit."

"You are too kind, Nyasasaurus," said Stegosaurus.

"It is the least I can do, in gratitude for all you have done for us."

As Nyasasaurus remained behind, Stegosaurus and Edaphosaurus stomped forthrightly to Marina del rey Beach. It was easy to see Dimetrodon and Moschops when they got there; it is hard for animals so large to hide, of course. "Hail !! Dimetrodon!" said Stegosaurus.

"Hail, cousin!" said Edaphosaurus.

"Greetings, Edaphosaurus!" said Dimetrodon.

"Stegosaurus !! What a nice surprise! Happy Holidays to you!! What brings you to sunny California ?"

"I come to visit my friends this Christmas Season. So nice to see you!!"

"A pleasure," said Dimetrodon.

"I was told there were surfers. Where are the surfers?"

"We ate them. I'm sorry," said Moschops. "Come, let us rest our claws in the water."

Stegosaurus and his synapisd friends went into the water and there happily rested.

"So, Edaphosaurus, tell me about yourself. Where are you from, originally?" asked Stegosaurus.

"Originally I was discovered by Professor Cope in Texas in 1882; but I have also been found in Ohio, West Virginia, and parts of Germany. Not sure how I ended up in Germany, but I do enjoy that place quite much. My name means "Pavement Lizard."

"You say you were discovered by Professor Cope?"

"Yes, I know the great rival of your father Professor Marsh."

"Fear not; I will not treat you with animosity. As a general rule of their nature, mammals thrive on competition; such has always been the case. I hold it not against you."

"How kind," said Moschops. "You have always included us and been socially tolerant of our differences."

"Stegosaurus is very kind. He is among the kindest of dinosaurs." said Dimetrodon. "He does much for his friends and is the most altruistic I know."

"My friends .... you will swell my horse sized head much beyond the size of brother horse's." said Stegosaurus.

"It looks like we have scared away the surviving surfing mammals," observed Dimetrodon.

As if on cue, Moschops burped. "Excuse me," he said. "It is a shame; I meant to save one and bring it home for Nyasasuaurus."

"Let us return to Dimetrodon's cave, and see what surprise that Nyasasaurus has for our generous visitor." said Edaphosaurus. "I'm sure he's prepared and is ready for our return now."

"Agreed." said Dimetrodon.

Stegosaurus and his friends left the beach and returned to Culver City.

"Welcome back!" said Nyasasaurus. "Come in, Stegosaurus. I have prepared a surprise for you. Just for Christmas."

To Stegosaurus' great surprise, Nyasasaurus had gathered for his visiting friend a nice helping of Marina arbutus, Albizia julibrissin, Bauhinia variegata, and Calocedrus decurrens.

"Enough to last you through the weekend, should you choose to visit us that long. And if you'd like to stay til the New Year, I do not mind going out to find more for you."

"One kind deed deserves another," observed Dimetrodon. "We here at the Dinosaur retirement home wish to show our gratitude to you for your help and kindnesses, especially in this most sacred Season and Holiday."

"You came here to surprise us, and we are so happy to see you that we wanted to surprise you and give you a gift in our own way." said Nyasasaurus.

"Carnivores also have a reputation of cruelty that herbivores do not share; We want to be sure that we break that stereotype today. Not just because of the significance of this Sacred Day; not just because it will put us on good terms with Stegosaurus Claus; but rather even in spite of our fangs and tendency to eat meat, we are also capable of kindness and gratitude," said Edaphosaurus.

"What an exemplary example of Christian Charity," said Stegosaurus. "I thank you most kindly, you did this for me even though you are not plant eaters. Bless you all."

"God bless us, everyone," said Edaphosaurus.