HORNS 101 



whicli are weapons not only against prey but against 

 enemies. The poison-fang and its sac or gland full 

 of deadly llnid is the most terrible of close-range 

 weapons. It is overcome only by means of superior 

 strength, armor, or activity. 



In the large fossil forms there were many weapons 

 proper. Besides the terrible array of tusklike teeth, 

 some Dinosaicrs had special spurs on the paws, and 

 others had their large tails armed with spines. An- 

 other still had many horns about the snout, and a 

 spiked collar of immense spines about the neck, and 

 others had these along the back. One, already noted 

 (Zcelajjs), had long, curved, tearing talons on the rear 

 feet, and walked erect, and was al)le to strike down 

 prey much larger than itself. In no modern form 

 do claws play a special part as weapons. 



HOKNS 



But several lizards and some snakes have appar- 

 ent horns, which may be weapons proper, not con- 

 nected with prey-taking. Quite likely they are often 

 useful in lighting or tantalizing a rival only. Among 

 a few lizards, as our so-called horned toad (Fig. 53), 

 battle consists in the turning of each other over on 

 the back. It is rather more of a wrestle than a fight, 

 and the one flipped topsy-turvy '^ gives up " at once. 

 While in these "toads" there is no special horn or 

 hook on the tip of the snout, yet in some other lizards 

 these are present, as may be seen in Fig. 51:. Wher- 

 ever these are found, they are on the male often and 

 not on the female. This happens frequently in the 



