VARANID^. 63 



GAVIALIS, Geoffr. 



Teeth slender, subequal in size, 27 or 28 above, and 25 or 26 below, on 

 each side ; the strongest teeth anteriorly in the jaws ; teeth directed out- 

 wards. Snout very long and slender. 



Only one species is known from the Ganges, — the Gavial from Borneo {Crocodilus schlegelii) 

 having been rightly referred by Huxley to a distinct genus [Bhynchosuchus). 



Gavialis gangeticus. The Gavial or Nakoo. 



Lacerta gangetica, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 1057. 



Crocodilus longirostris, Schneid. Hist. Amph. p. 160. Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. pt. 2. p. 60. pi. 1. figs. 2 & 



10, & pi. 2. fig. 11 (head and skull). 

 tenuirostris, Cuv. I. c. p. 62. pi. 1. figs. 1 & 11, & pi. 2. fig. 12. 



The length of the snout equals that of nine or ten of the dorsal shields. The upper jaw with 

 twenty-seven slender and slightly curved teeth, the lower with twenty-six. The strongest of 

 all the teeth are the two anterior lateral ones of the upper jaw, and those of the first, second, 

 and fourth pairs of the lower jaw. There is a transverse series of four or six smallish shields 

 at a short distance behind the occiput ; another pair of very small shields occupies the space 

 between that series and the anterior dorsal shields. The dorsal shields commence in the 

 middle of the length of the neck, and form twenty-two transverse rows to the root of the 

 tail. The first transverse row is composed of two shields only, whilst the two following have 

 a small additional shield on each side ; in the middle of the back each transverse row is 

 composed of six shields — four large ones and two small lateral ones ; each shield is keeled. 



Old male specimens have a large cartilaginous hump on the extremity of the snout*, 

 perforated by the nostrils and containing a small cavity for the reception of air, so that the 

 males are enabled to remain under water for a longer time than the females. 



The Gavial attains to a length of 20 feet. 



FAMILY OF WATER LIZARDS— FJBJNWyi:. 



Head w^ith the snout produced, pyramidal, covered with small, scale-like, 

 but not imbricate, shields. Teeth acute, compressed. Tongue elongate, 

 slender, terminating in a long fork, retractile into a sheath at its base. 

 Scales small, equal on the sides and on the back, arranged in cross rings ; 

 those of the belly and tail square, in cross bands. Tail long, generally com- 

 pressed. Toes 5 — 5, armed with strong claws. 



* This is referred to by .iElian, who says that the Ganges is inhabited by CrocodUes which have a horn 

 on the end of the snout (Hist. Anim. Ixii. c. 41). 



