French National Institute. 147 



into two families, proposed by M. Dumeril in his Analytical 

 Zoology, is justified by striking difFerenccs in almost all the 

 organical systems. . . 



The crocodile genus has been this year the subject ot se- 

 veral Memoirs, Hitherto no correct ideas have been formed 

 even respecting the crocodile of the Nile, which has been 

 the subject of ^so many wonderful storied; far less were the 

 destructive characters of the various crocodiles known. 

 M. Geoffroy Saint Hilaric has rendered au essential service 

 to natural historv by bringing a crocodile^of the Nile from 

 Egypt ; a circumstance which had the effect of introducing 

 to°the public the Saint Domingo crocodile, an animal al- 

 most entirely neglected bv naturalists. M. Descourtils has 

 presented a complete history of it; being the result of ob- 

 servations made in the West Indies, accompanied by draw- 

 ings. M. Cuvier, by comparing the information thus com- 

 municated with his own previous knowledge, has proved 

 that there exist, in the warm countries of the old and new 

 continent, at least twelve species of these voracious reptdes, 

 distinct from each, and easily recognized : he has exhibited 

 the bodies or skeletons of most of them, and determined 

 their characters. 



The same naturalist has directed his attention m an ana- 

 tomical point of view to some reptiles which truly merit 

 ihe 3ippe\hUon oi amphibious, because they breathe by the 

 gills like fishes, and by the lungs also like common reptiles. 

 One of these, the siren lacertina, resemliles a kind of eel, 

 with two small fore-feet, each having four toes : Its neck is 

 adorned on each side with three small fringes. This animal 

 is found in the rivers of Carolina. 



The other, the protms angninus, is still more extraor- 

 dinary ; its colour is whitish ; its gills of a bright red : it 

 has four feet, those in front have three toes, and those be- 

 hind only two. The eves are entirely concealed under the 

 skin, and in fact are 'of no use to it, for it only inhabits 

 some subterraneous waters in Carniola, from which it is 

 vomited forth in great inundations. It is thcretore ex- 

 tremely rare even in that country, and has neveir been tound 

 any where else. 



The third was brought from Mexico by M. Humboldt. 

 The inhabitants use it as food : it resembles an aquatic sala- 

 mander, and is called proieus pisciformis, or axolotl. 



M. Cuvier's opinion, that the inammolh of Russia, and 

 indeed of the old continent, was i different species from the 

 Indian elephant, is well known. This oi.mion has been 



K 2 fw'iy 



