In "The Folk of the Air," Peter S. Beagle conveys the idea that while we can reconstruct ancient creatures, such as dinosaurs, with remarkable accuracy, there remain significant gaps in our understanding of their true existence. The statement highlights that knowing their physical structure is not enough; the sensory experiences and environmental context in which they lived are lost to us.

This metaphor emphasizes the limitations of skeletal remains when it comes to grasping the full reality of a species that has long vanished. The quote suggests that even elements like sound, scent, and other atmospheric conditions are unattainable, indicating that our understanding of the past is inevitably incomplete.