Plated Dinosaurs 97 



I had supposed from my study of the Chalk 

 specimen, but that between the larger plates, are 

 quite small ones arranged like chain armor 

 so as to allow the body to move in any direction, 

 unhindered by the heavy armor; these small 

 ossified scutes are so beveled as to move on them- 

 selves, that is, they are imbricated, while the 

 others are not, and are arranged like mosaic 

 work in a pavement. Mr. Brown was the first 

 to publish a figure of a skull of his Edmonton 

 species. The skull itself has the bony skin plates 

 anchylosed to it. Mr. Brown tells me that even 

 the eyes are protected by sliding shutters that 

 drop down over them in time of danger. The 

 horned beak is rounded in front and the few 

 teeth behind seem of little functional value. The 

 beak however, was a powerful organ for digging 

 up roots, or nipping off foliage. The head was 

 very small compared to the immense body. The 

 great ribs over five feet long, and hoop-shaped, 

 giving the body a round, barrel-like form. The 

 heavy bony armor of huge plates, some of them 

 weighed in their fossil form twenty-five pounds 

 or more ; though light and spongy in life. Many 

 of these plates were harder and denser bone than 

 the ones mentioned before, keeled down the cen- 

 ter. The small nodules of bone fitted in between 

 the plates and were so beveled as to move on each 

 other like chain armor. The entire body was thus 

 covered and protected. Unfortunately no com- 

 plete skeleton has been found with every dermal 



