CHAEACTEES OF KECENT CEOCODILIA. 7 



country. I subjoin the chief points of interest which I noted in 

 my brief examination of this valuable specimen : — ■ 



Inches. 



The total length of the skeleton is 114 



skull 16 



Between the outer edges of the posterior ends of 



the quadrate bones 8f 



Prom the snout to the middle of the canine notch. . . 2f 

 Transverse diameter of snout opposite 10th tooth ... 4|- 



Long axis of orbit 2| 



Short axis of orbit If 



Interorbital space opposite the middle of the orbit If 



Anterior edge of the orbit from end of snout 10^ 



Syncipital* area in length, about 2^ 



„ „ in breadth anteriorly 3|- 



M „ „ posteriorly 4 



Supra-temporal fossae, wide f 



» long 11 



Least width of parietal -^ 



Total length of mandible 20| 



Its greatest depth 3 



Length of cervical region (or anterior 8 vertebrse) . . . 10| 



„ dorso-lumbar region 27 



„ sacral „ S\ 



Length of humerus 7-J 



„ ulna 5| 



„ fore foot, extreme length 6 



„ femur 8^ 



„ tibia 6 



„ hind foot, extreme length 9| 



From the above measurements it will be seen that the skull is 

 somewhat slender. Behind the canine groove it widens to the 

 tenth tooth, which is 5f inches behind the end of the snout. It 

 retains about the same diameter to the twelfth tooth, and then 

 slowly widens again, — a sudden increase in size, to the extent of 

 half-an-inch, taking place opposite the posterior margin of the 

 orbit, owing to the ilanging-out of the jugal. On the whole, 

 however, there is a slow and even idcrease in breadth, from the 



* By this term I denote that squarish flat area bounded by the postfrontal 

 and squamosal bones laterally, by the occiput posteriorly, and by a line joining 

 the outer angles of the postfrontals anteriorly. 



