“If he were as big as an albatross,” retorted the other, “the little birds could dodge him.”
“Isn’t the albatross about the biggest thing that ever flew?” asked the boy.
Antoine made a gesture of negation.
“No, no,” he said, “he is the biggest bird, the biggest thing with feathers that has ever been, but the Pteranodon—the Pteranodon was more than half as big again and would look twice as big.”
“Pteranodon,” said the boy thoughtfully. “Let’s see, Antoine, that was some kind of lizardbird, wasn’t it?”
“Not a bird, not a bird,” replied the other, “but it was a lizard that flew.”
“Didn’t it have wings?”
“No, no, it had aëroplanes,” was the astonishing answer. “Hold out your hand!”
Wondering what was coming, the boy did so.
“Double your thumb under, put the three fingers close together but not quite touching, and spread the little finger out,” ordered his friend.