2l6 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVII. No. 428 



SCIENCE: 



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The Horned Saurians of the Laramie Formation. 



In 1872 Professor Cope made known the remains of a very 

 large dinosaurian reptile from the transition beds of Wyoming, 

 wMce he named Agathaumas sylvestris. The portion of the 

 skeleton found " rested in the midst of vegetable debris, as sticks 

 and stems, and was covered with many beautiful dicotyledonous 

 leaves, which filled the interstices between the bones." The 

 animal was discovered near Black Buttes Station, on the Union 

 Pacific Railroad, fifty-two miles east of Green River, and near the 

 Hallville Coal-Mines. Professor Cope succeeded in recovering 

 sixteen vertebrge, including a perfect sacrum, with dorsals and 

 caudals; both iliac and other pelvic bones, those of one side 

 nearly perfect ; some bones of the limbs, ribs, and other parts not 

 determined. Profes.sor Cope's description is thus : — 



" The vertebrae are large. The dorsals are short, with verti- 

 cally oval centra and small neural canal. The diapophyses 

 originate w^ell above the neural canal, diverge upwards, and are 

 triangular in section. The neural spine is very much elevated, 

 and the arch short antero-posteriorly. The zygapophyses are 

 close together in both directions, those of the same aspect being 

 separated by a narrow keel only. They do not project, but con- 

 sist of articular surfaces cut into the solid spine. The latter is 

 flat, and dilated distally. The articular faces are nearly plane, 

 with a slight median prominence. The ribs have two articular 

 surfaces, but I found no capitular pit on the dorsal centra. 



" Elevation of centrum, 7.5 inches; width of the same, 5 inches 

 7.5 lines; length of same, 3 inches 8.5 lines : total elevation of a 

 dorsal vertebra, 38 inches 3 lines. The sacrum consists of five 

 vprtf.bras, the anterior centrum not depressed. They give out 

 huffi diapophyses, which are united by suture. They are them- 

 selves united distally in pairs, each pair supporting a longi- 

 tudinal convex articular face for the ilium. Each pair encloses a 

 perforation with the centra. The first diapophysis goes off from 

 the point of junction of the first and second vertebras ; the second 

 from the third only, and is more slender. The total length is 25 

 inches, and the width 30 inches. Its vertebree are flat below, with 

 latera-Mferior angles. The last centrum gives off a simple 

 diapophysis. . . . The iliac bone is extended antero-posteriorly. 

 One extremity is thick and rather obtuse, but of little depth. 

 There is a large protuberance above the acetabular sinus. The 

 other extremity is dilated into a flat, thin plate of rather greater 



length than the shorter extremity. The total length is about four 

 feet, of which the acetabular sinus measures about 8.10 inches." 



Professor Cope continues, "From the above description, it is 

 evident that the animal of Black Buttes is a dinosaurian reptile, 

 the characters of the sacral and iliac bones alone sufficing to de- 

 monstrate this point." It is pronounced the largest dinosaur de- 

 scribed from North America. 



This animal was described again and figured by Professor Cope 

 in the "Vertebrata of the Cretaceous Formations," 1875 : "On 

 eight (and perhaps nine) vertebree, anterior to the sacrum, there 

 is no indication of the capitular articular facet for the rib [on the 

 centrum]. This facet is found, as in Crocodilia, at or near the 

 base of the elongate diapophyses. The centra are slightly concave 

 posteriorly, and still less so on the anterior face, with gently con- 

 vex margins. The neural canal is very small, and the neural 

 arch short and quite distinct from the centrum, having scarcely 

 any suture. The diapophyses are long and directed upwards. 

 They are triangular in section." 



The saorals are then described, and the opinion is expressed 

 that the tail is small : " The reduced and rather elongate form of 

 the last sacral vertebra induces me to believe that this animal did 

 not possess such large and short caudal vertebrse as are found in 

 the genus Hadrosaurus, and that the tail was a less massive 

 organ." 



There cannot be any doubt that we have in Agathaumas a 

 form widely different from any thing described before, clearly 

 characterized by its peculiar sacrum and ilium. 



Professor Marsh has created a new name, Triceratops, for this 

 genus. That Triceratops is the same as Agathaumas will be ad- 

 mitted by everybody who will compare the figures published by 

 Professor Cope, of the sacrum, the ilium, and the posterior dor- 

 sals, with the corresponding figure."? given by Professor Marsh. 

 In the American Journal of Science (February, 1891) Professor 

 Marsh makes this statement, " The posterior trunk vertebrse have 

 also short, flat centra, but the diapophyses have faces for both 

 the head and tubercle of the ribs, as in crocodiles, a feature 

 not before seen in dinosaurs." Exactly this condition exists in 

 Agathaumas, but also, as is well known, in Iguanodon. I think 

 any further comment on the identity of Agathaumas and Tricera- 

 tops is useless. Everybody can satisfy himself of this fact by 

 comparing the figures of Professors Cope and Marsh. 



I shall now show that Ceratops Marsh is the same as 3Ionoclo- 

 nius Cope. ' 



In 1 876 Professor Cope described a new, very remarkable dino- 

 saur from the Fort Union beds of Montana, under the name of 

 Monoelonius crassus. 



" Char. Gen. — Teeth with obliquely truncate face and distinct 

 root which is grooved for the^successional tooth on the front; no 

 external cementum layer; caudal verlebrse biconcave, and brim 

 narrow ; fore-limbs large and massive. The teeth of this genus 

 resemble those of Hadrosaurus, and, like them, are replaced from 

 the front, — an arrangement which precludes the possibility of 

 more than one series of teeth being in functional use at one time. 

 The robust fore-limbs and elongate ilium distinguish Monoelonius 

 [misprinted Diclonius] from Hadrosaurus. From Traohyodon it 

 differs in the absence of the rough cementum layer on the back 

 of the tooth. 



'• Char. Specif. — The faces of the teeth are acuminate oval in 

 form, and are divided by ah elevated keel, which is median 

 above, but turns to one side at the base; margin crenate, the 

 grooves extending more or less on the curves back, which is 

 otherwise smooth; sacrum with ten vertebree; the last centrum 

 much compressed : the diapophyses extending horizontally from 

 the neural arch above, and connected by a verticallamina with 

 the iliac supports ; length, 27. 88 inches. The bones of the limbs are 

 robust, the hinder the longer, but not so much so as in some other 

 genera. Length of femur. 22 inches; width proximall}' 7.4 inches, 

 distally 6 inches. Length of tibia, 20 inches; greatest diameter 

 proximally 8 inches, distally 7.25 inches. The thz-ee anterior 

 dorsal vertebree are co-ossified, and the first exhibits a deep cup 

 for articulation with the preceding vertebra. The episternum is a 

 T-shaped bone, thin, and keeled on the median line below. 

 Length of transverse portion, 21 inches." 



