THE CERATOPSIA 



RECENT DISCOVERIES 



Since the publication of the Ceratopsia Monograph in 1907, an amazing amount of ceratopsian 

 material has come to light, as the subsequent pages will show. This has added little to our knowl- 

 edge of the younger Lance forms, such as Tricemtops, other than to show the remarkable range of 

 variation within the so-called species. But of the older forms, where fragmentary material only was 

 known, we now have perfect skulls and, in several instances, more or less complete skeletons with 

 occasional impressions of the external covering. Perhaps the most outstanding explorer of all is 

 Barnum Brown of the American Museum, whose remarkable skill both in discovery and exhuma- 

 tion has enriched our collections amazingly, especially by forms derived from the Belly River beds 

 of Alberta. Then that noted family of collectors, the Sternbergs, should be mentioned, headed by 

 the veteran Charles H., and ably seconded by his several sons, Charles M., George, and Levi. They 

 have worked collectively and individually, and some of the most remarkable of ceratopsians which 

 adorn the museums, not only in America but also abroad, are due to their indefatigable labor and 

 skill. Charles W. Gilmore of the United States National Museum, while working largely on 

 other forms of bygone life, has also added some notable ceratopsians to that museum's collections. 



Space will not permit a detailed account of the work of these collectors in the field, but some of 

 the outstanding expeditions should be mentioned, of which Brown's expeditions to the Red Deer 

 River region stand first. As we have seen, the exploration of this area was begun by Lawrence M. 

 Lambe of the Geological Survey of Canada, but, as is frequently true of collecting in a virgin field, 

 the material secured was extremely fragmentary ; nevertheless, it gave to science indications of an 

 extraordinary fauna. About 1908, a ranchman, John C. Wagner, who lived at Tolman, Alberta, 

 called Mr. Brown's attention to the profusion of dinosaur bones along the Red Deer River, and for 

 seven seasons, including his initial visit in 1909, Brown explored the region with surprising results, 

 bringing to light not only horned dinosaurs but trachodons, carnivores, and other dinosaurs as well. 

 Owing to the peculiar conditions — a more or less navigable stream flowing through the land of his 

 exploration — Mr. Brown found that his work could best be done by boat. Accordingly, he and his 

 assistants went to the town of Red Deer where the Calgary-Edmonton Railway crosses the river, 

 and there built a scow, 30 by 12 feet, with a 22-foot sweep at either end for navigating it. Upon 

 this they pitched their tent and stored their impedimenta, and then set forth on a current that aver- 

 aged some four miles an hour, with placid areas interspersed by occasional rapids. On this craft 

 the party lived, and from it they prospected, mooring ship when conditions were good and explor- 

 ing not only the canyon walls but all of the tributary valleys as well, and storing the collected 

 fossils on board until the boat was practically full. At the end of the season when the weather 

 became too cold for effective work, the craft was hauled out, materials stored, and on the coming 

 of the second season she was recommissioned to continue from the point where she ceased the 

 year before. A canoe and an outboard motor boat added to the efficiency of the fleet. 



This same method was afterward (1912-1916) used with admirable results by Sternberg and 

 his sons while working for the Canadian Survey under the direction of Lawrence M. Lambe. The 

 preparation and description of this material was well under way when it was halted by Lambe's 

 sudden illness and death. Charles M. Sternberg is continuing to do effective work both in col- 

 lecting and research but there is great opportunity for further trained workers in Canadian paleon- 

 tology when conditions shall warrant it. 



Mr. Sternberg senior has written two interesting books 1 which, aside from their value as 

 human documents, recount in detail the collecting of some of the most remarkable of ceratopsian 

 material such as the two mounted chasmosaurs, PI. XIV, B; the skull of Styracosaurus, PI. VIII ; 

 the Pentaceratops material from New Mexico, both at the American Museum, PI. V, B, and at 

 Upsala, Sweden, Fig. 40} as well as other type and otherwise interesting specimens. 



Sternberg, C. H., 1909, 1932. 



