The Enormous Egg

After church, Nate meets up with Joe Champigny. When Nate shows Joe the dinosaur, Joe insists that it’s merely a big lizard. Though Nate refers to Dr. Ziemer’s expertise, Joe wonders if Dr. Ziemer is playing a joke on Nate, explaining that his father encourages him to distrust city folk. Joe returns home, and Nate decides that he still trusts Dr. Ziemer’s opinion. 

After dinner, Dr. Ziemer returns to check on the dinosaur. When Nate asks if they need to bottle-feed the dinosaur, Dr. Ziemer explains that baby dinosaurs, like all reptiles, can eat adult food. He also mentions that dinosaurs, like chickens, have gizzards. 

Since triceratops are typically vegetarians, Dr. Ziemer helps Nate gather piles of leaves and grass. The dinosaur stumbles over to the grass pile and devours it, before similarly inhaling the pile of leaves. Afterwards, the dinosaur settles down for a nap.

Beholding the dinosaur’s immense appetite, Dr. Ziemer wishes that they could put him out to pasture. However, he worries that the dinosaur might escape, or that the goat might harm him. When Nate sticks up for the goat’s gentleness, Dr. Ziemer cautions that animals and people might react unpredictably to a dinosaur. 

At Dr. Ziemer’s urging, Nate fetches a scale from the kitchen, so that they can properly weigh the dinosaur.