THE MOUNTED SKELETON OF TRICERATOPS PRORSUS. 



By Charles W. Gilmore, 



Preparator, Department of Geology. 



Among the vertebrate fossils included in that part of the Marsh 

 collection, now preserved in the United States National Museum, are 

 the remains of several individuals pertaining- to the large Cretaceous 

 dinosaur, Triceratops. All of this material, which comes from the 

 Laramie division of the Cretaceous, was collected by or under the 

 supervision of the late Mr. J. B. Hatcher in the northeastern part of 

 Converse County, Wyoming, a locality made historic by the researches 

 of this enthusiastic student. From this one region he collected the 

 remains of more than forty individuals of the Ceratopsia, a record 

 that has never been equaled. 



The skeleton of Triceratops jyrorsus recently placed on exhibition in 

 the court devoted to verteljrate paleontology is the first one of this 

 extinct genus to be mounted. As all of the specimens referred to 

 above were more or less fragmentary, the most complete one (No. 

 4842") [Sk. C, 2082 and 2084]^ was used as a basis for the present 

 restoration. The missing parts were substituted from other individ- 

 uals of about the same size and belonging to the same species. When 

 suitable bones were not available, as was the case in a few instances, 

 these parts were restored in plaster colored to somewhat resemble the 

 bones, but having the shade differ sufficiently to V)e easily recognized. 

 Thus we have been able to present a fairly accurate representation of 

 the skeletal structure of this peculiar reptile. Every bone used in the 

 skeleton bears its catalogue number, and all plaster bones are marked 

 with a red +. There is thus preserved a definite record of all the 

 associated material comprising the composite skeleton. 



In 1901, under the direction of Mr. F. A. Lucas, the skeleton of 

 this animal was reproduced in papier-mache, and was included in the 



« Catalogue number of the U. S. National Museum. 

 & Marsh's numbers. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXIX— No. 1426. 

 Proc. N. M. vol. xxix— 05 28 433 



