EXISTING CROCODILES 2385 



Omitting notice of the small Johnston's crocodile (C. johnstoni}, of 



North Australia, the last member of the genus is the curious long- 

 Crocodile . 



nosed crocodile (C. cataph ractus), of West Africa, which forms a kind 



of connecting link between the other true crocodiles and the garials. In this species 

 the snout is more elongated and slender than in any of its congeners, its length not 

 nnfrequently exceeding three times its basal width; the bony union between the two 

 branches of the lower jaw being likewise of unusual length. In form the snout is 

 convex, and devoid of ridges; while the region of the forehead is remarkable for 

 its convexity. The great peculiarity about the species is, however, to be found in 

 the arrangement of the bony plates on the neck, which form two longitudinal rows, 

 and are partially if not completely continuous with those of the back; a some- 

 what similar arrangement existing in Johnston's crocodile. On the back the 

 number of longitudinal rows of shields is six; and the lower parts of the legs, as in 

 many other crocodiles, are furnished with a jagged horny fringe. In color the 

 head is olive spotted with brown; the back and tail have a brownish-yellow 

 ground color, with large black spots, while the yellowish-white under parts are 

 marked with smaller white spots. In length this species reaches some eighteen 

 feet. 



The long-snouted crocodile is found in the rivers and marshes of West Africa, 

 from Senegambia to the Gabun, and also occurs farther to the south in the Congo, 

 its native name being khinh. Not unfrequently found in company with the Nile 

 crocodile, it inhabits the smaller streams and still waters of the interior, generally 

 taking up its position in a deep pool protected by an overhanging bank or rock, 

 and thence sallying forth on its prey, which consists chiefly of fish, frogs, and 

 aquatic reptiles. The eggs are laid on the bank, where, unlike those of most other 

 members of the family, they are carefully covered with leaves and herbage. Shy 

 and timid in its disposition, this crocodile is often captured by the natives for the 

 sake of its flesh; which, like that of many of its allies in other regions, is much 

 esteemed as food. While very abundant in the fresh waters of the interior, this 

 species likewise haunts the salt-water lagoons of the Guinea coast; and in the delta 

 of the Cameroons may be observed lying on the sand banks bordering the mangrove 

 swamps, from which, on the approach of a boat, it darts into the water with sur- 

 prising celerity. There it often pulls down herons and such other aquatic birds as 

 may be standing or swimming in the water, sailing up to them with the silence of a 

 large fish, to which, when in the water, it presents a considerable resemblance. As 

 in the estuarine and Nile crocodiles, in the adult of this species the second tooth in 

 the fore jawbone, or premaxilla, disappears, leaving only four in place of the 

 normal five on each side. 



With the very long and slender- snouted crocodile, from Borneo, 

 , . . commonly known as Schlegel's garial (Rhynchosuchus schlegelt}, we 

 come to the first of two genera, each represented by a single existing 

 Oriental species, which differ very remarkably from any of those yet noticed. In 

 both these forms the snout is long and slender, with its teeth-bearing margins 

 nearly straight, instead of being thrown into more or less well-marked festoons; 

 while the nasal bones never extend forward to reach the aperture of the nostrils, 

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