Re: Pterosaur feathers?

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/3/02 5:24:51 PM EST, qilongia@yahoo.com writes:

<< Oh, please. Scales are well-described, for they weren't naked skinned.
 As in crocodilians and some lacertilians (e.g., helodermatids, including
 fossils ones), non-overlapping, tubercular scales are known from
 impressions and partial carbonized remains in various taxa. "Dave", NGMC
 91 has a scalation pattern on the pes that matches birds, and distinct
 gene work shows that bird-foot scales turn to feathers without much
 manipulation, and there are breeds with feathers here instead (ptarmigan,
 various gallinaceous fowl). Just a matter of playing with the
 developments. >>

Those aren't scales, even though they look like scales. As far as I know, 
feathers and croc scutes, and thus by phyletic bracketing dinosaur dermal 
structures, are not homologous with lepidosaur scales, just as they're not 
homologous with mammal hair.