154 SAUEIANS. 



in the upper jaw, and not into holes, as in Crocodiles ; the hind legs 

 are dentated and palmated, like those of African Crocodiles. The 

 Gavials are chiefly remarkable for their long head, its type being 

 the Gavial of the Ganges, or Gavial longirostre. It is of a deep 

 watery green colour, having on the upper part numerous irregular 

 brown spots ; in the young, the back and limbs are transversely 

 banded with black ; the lower part is of a pale whitish yeUow ; 

 the jaws are marked with brown, the claws are of a clear horn 

 colour. This species is not so carnivorous as the others, and is con- 

 sequently less dreaded. 



The Gavial of the Ganges, G. Gangeticus, is supposed to be the 

 largest of the existing Saurians ; its length, as given by Dumeril, 

 is seventeen feet four inches. 



