488 bulletin: MUSEUM of comparative zoology. 



Crocodilidae. 

 44. Crocodilus niloticus Lauren ti. 



Mr. Wulsin secured five adult crocodiles and two young. These are 

 from the Morondava River, from Miandrivazo on the Tsiribihina River 

 and from the Sahabe River just at the southern end of Lake Alaotra, 

 — the latter the supposed locality of living Crocodilus robustiis Vail- 

 lant and Grandidier. From all that Mr. Wulsin could learn from the 

 naturalists connected with the Academy Malagache at Tananarive the 

 specimens upon which the record of Crocodilus rohustus as an existing 

 species was based were simply very old males of C. niloticus from Lake 

 Alaotra, a locality everywhere celebrated for the great abundance and 

 enormous size of its crocodiles. There seems to be no doubt but that 

 the individuals in this Lake reach a larger size than they do elsewhere 

 in Madagascar, or probably anywhere in Africa as well. Boettger has 

 relegated the names rohustus and madagascariensis both to the synon- 

 ymy of niloticus. In this I follow him regarding madagascariensis. 

 But C. rohustus Vaillant and Grandidier, as a rather recent fossil, is 

 a valid species and a fine cranium from Antsirabe is figured (Plate 1). 



When the type of C. rohustus was first found at Amboulintsatre it 

 was associated with remains of Aepyornis and Hippopotamus and by 

 an interesting coincidence Mr. Wulsin's collection contained the 

 femur of Aepyornis and a beautiful skull, complete, of Hippopotamus. 

 Thus it is only as a living form that we may consider C. rohustus as 

 synonymous with C. niloticus. The name must stand for the valid 

 fossil species. (For the supposed record for -living C. rohustus cf. 

 Vaillant, Compt. rend., 1883, 97, p. 1081). 



Testudinidae. 

 45. Testudo radiata Shaw. 

 Two shells secured at Tamatave. 



Chelonidae. 



46. Chelonia virgata Schweigger. 



One stuffed specimen from Tulear. Pending the accumulation of 

 sufficient material to attempt a critical study of the green turtles I am 

 using Schweigger's name provisionally for the Indian Ocean specimens. 



