For the thorough scientist there is no question that -- when a few thousands of years will have passed by -- in consequence of a new deluge the present creation will have disappeared from the world's stage and will have given way to a new configuration of matter. From the remnants of today's organisms a new generation of nonsentient individuals will evolve and from these another generation of sentient individuals. Although these creatures might deviate significantly from us with respect to their organization we can assume with certainty that in the far future in addition to enthusiastic beer-drinking and arm-waving scientists other scholars will also delight the world as is the case in our own time.

Let us assume that a long-term uplift of the ocean floor will move the modern seafloor above the surface of the sea and that out of the germs of the postdiluvian advanced-organized fauna living therein a generation of naturalists will evolve having enhanced thinking capabilities. The continent of Europe, however, so far as it is not submerged into the sea, will be depopulated and barren, and only locally emerge out of the waters. Furthermore we can be sure that one of these future naturalists will discover and study the remains of our continent. If such a naturalist enters a denuded area which has be liberated of its cover of the youngest deposits, let us say a previous, i.e., a present countryside main road the naturalist will discover well preserved prints of anterior and posterior extremities. Based on his observations he will reach remarkable conclusions about the curious types of animals which -- although they do not always match the reality -- will provide him honour because of his scientific combinatorial capabilities.

We believe that we are not in error if we assume that the expected postdiluvian naturalist will develop an imagination and give a description of our present, but for him certainly antediluvian inhabitants of Europe which will not differ substantially from the following figures.

Our first figure shows the various creatures which -- based on the imagination of the aforesaid naturalist -- might have lived in Europe. The aforesaid naturalist will come to the following systematic description of the creatures:*

I. Aves. Represented only by ratites distinguished by their colossal size and peculiar nature of their feet, which have smooth, wrinkled, and warty epidermis and one or several toes without claws. Tail composed of broad, stiff feathers that often reach the ground, rather uncommonly long, cylindrical, featherless. Beak long, conical, frontal part usually obtuse, often used as auxiliary organ for walking motion. Species numerous.

a) Genus Monodactylus. Height of the animals considerable, toes usually slender, seldom broad, having smooth or warty epidermis.

Hereto belongs:

1. Monodactylus longirostris. Toes slender, smooth, at the posterior part of the foot a claw-like protrusion (spur); beak long and mobile; tail long, consisting of many, ground-touching feathers, motion haughtily striding, not uncommon in rather low districts.

2. Monodactylus simplex. Animals small, motion clumsy due to the short, skin-covered, rounded toes. Beak short, but impudent, occurring in herds of 4-6 individuals.

3. Monodactylus apteryx. Animals very large. Toes flat, broad, having numerous, regularly arranged warts (knobs). Motion clumsy and slow. Frequently found in mountainous regions.

4. Monodactylus splendens. Toes elongate, small having smooth skin. Tail long, featherless, used as auxiliary organ when hopping, dragged in long stripes, companionable animal.

b) Genus Didactylus. Second division of the giant-birds. Animals very large, clumsy. Toes varying in size, the smaller ones turned to the posterior, larger toes broad, covered with knobby warts. Beak short.

Only one species: Didactylus antediluvianus. Outer toes flat, knobby, constricted in the middle, motion slow. Frequently occurring on main country roads. Supposed height 6 m. Unique specimen.

c) Genus Pentadactylus. Probably evolved from the preceding animals. Five rudimentary secondary toes at the anterior end of the main toe, the largest secondary toe bent inward. Skin smooth. In other respects probably similar to the monodactyls.

II. Cetacea. Four extremities. The anterior ones with five toes, the posterior ones fin-like rudder organs. Snout trunk-like elongate, skin having ledge-shaped protruding belts that enable the animal to move rapidly on slick surfaces such as ice. Very probably this animal preferred to live in swamps, to which it could easily have been attracted.

Genus Dactylotherium. Species: Dactylotherium paradoxum. Animal rather large, length 1.5 m, rudder-feet, elongate, anterior limbs; skin bare, legs short, anterior feet attendant to catch food.

III. Quadrupeds. Animals small. Anterior extremities with five distinct toes, posterior monodigitate, without claws. Skin bare, legs short. Forefeet serving to grasp food.

Genus Microtherium. Living in herds, voracious predator. Motion hopping. In rest standing on all four feet. Only one species: Microtherium commune. Height of the animal exceeding 2 metres. Posterior feet with only one bulky toe. Common.

One can see that, although the future naturalist will correctly recognize a few of our human groups living today, even so, he will not have found traces of all of them, and sometimes not a trace of how these traces were produced.

*All figures show the footprints and their true origin.

Dr. Phosphorus. 1930. Aus den Fußspuren: ein Beitrag zur Paläontologie der Zukunft. Natur und Museum, 60:92-96.