CROCODILll'.K. 



rnoeowi.in.i:. 



C. Inuimtrit, Car., ' Ox. Foss,;' La Ormnd Oavial, Le 

 Uarial. Bonr da 8t Vincent, 'Diet. Claw. d'Hist Nat.;' 

 Uiw (tauatinu, C fr*in*rt, OoE, Mem. Mus. d'Hiit Nat ;' 

 U Omviel da Onge, CUT., ' Hog. Anim. ;' Oarialu rnmirotfru, Ouer., 

 Icon. Rs>. Anim. ;' JttMpAarftHM tawwvtfre, WagL, < NaturL Syst 

 Amph.;' GsnaJii 0s*yrKii, Gray, 'Synops. Rapt.;' the Onviid of 

 UM Quag*, Oriff, 'Anim. Kingd.' 



The bead of the Oavial may be considered u framed of two part* ; 

 MM anterior and long, almost cylindrical in form, more or lea flat- 

 taoad ; UM other posterior and abort, presenting the figure of a 

 ilanraamit hexahedron, wider behind than before. The jawi constitute 

 the anterior part or beak, which is long, straight, and of extreme 

 narrowness, but not, properly speaking, cylindrical It is 4-sided, 

 bat the angle* are rounded. It spreads out at iU base and terminates 

 in front, so as to recal to the observer the beak of the Spoonbill Its 

 vertical diameter is throughout less than its transversal diameter. 



, Skill of 111* Gnat GavUl {<! aria lit Ongttieia), tern from above ; 6, lower 

 jaw of G..U1, another Individual ; r, profile of the ikull of Oarial ; d, outline 

 of Ike head eovrnd with the Inurnment*. 



The head, properly so called, that is, the part situated behind the 

 beak, has its sides straight and perpendicular. The upper surface is 

 quadrilateral. The port-orbital portion is flat and smooth, except 

 that ona can perceive through the skin the subtriangular or ovoid 

 bole, with which the skull is dotted. The other portion is consider- 

 ably inclined forwards, and mostly occupied by the eyes, the interval 

 between which forms a slight gutter-like depression. The mandible 

 U not continued from the forehead by a gradual slope as it is in the 

 Crocodiles, but sinks suddenly to follow a straight and nearly hori- 

 conUl direction, on a Una with the inferior edge of the orbit At the 

 extremity of this upper mandible are the four notches for the passage 

 of the first and fourth lower teeth whan the mouth is shut Two of 

 these notches are very deep, and situated quite in front : the other 

 two are moderate, and placed one on the right, the other on the left, 

 behind UM spatulif.mn termination of the beak, where it is slightly 



The division of the lower jaw into two branches does not com- 

 mence till towards tha twenty-second or twenty-third tooth. The 

 first tan tipper teeth, among which the two anterior teeth are the 

 least separated, are implanted in the intermaxillary bone, and the 

 gfaalar portion of the teeth of the upper mandible are longer than 

 UM corresponding teeth of the lower taw. Up to the nineteenth or 

 twantipth pair they are turned a little outwards, so that when the 

 mouth is shut UM upper teeth pass over the sides of the lower jaw, 

 and UM lower teeth over UM sides of tha upper. The last six pain 

 art straight or nearly so, so that the points of the one sat correspond 

 xactiy with tha intervals of the other. The firsftbe third, and the 

 fourth above, and UM first, second, and fourth below, are the longest 

 Thar are in general a little curved and slightly compressed from 

 Wore backward*, and are very slightly trenchant right and left 

 Hardly more than UM last eight or nine on each side are nearly 

 ooariaal Slight vertical ridgas show themselves on the surface of the 

 teat* of old individuals. 



Under UM throat, about the middle of the branches of the maxillary 

 - , are situatad, one on tha right and. tha other on the loft side, the 



bosja, a 



The axtsrnaJ orifice of tha nostrils opens on the upper side of the 



beak, at a small distance from it* terminal border. The aperture is 

 .~ Eiiilmiar, at the bottom of which may be perceived a cartilaginous 

 plate, which divides it longitudinally m two. The edges 

 opening form two lips, which appear to have the power of approaching 

 each other, so as to dose the aperture hermetically. The anterior of 

 these is curvilinear, and the posterior rectilinear ; in the females and 

 in young subjects they are very delicate and quite soft; but in the. 

 old males the anterior lip not only arrives at a cartilaginous con- 

 sistence, but a development that carries it backwards as far OH the 

 seventh pair of teeth, and triples the thickness of the muzzle. This 

 pouch, or cartilaginous sac, with two compartments, is of a sub-oval 

 form, and U notched behind so as to form two very thick rounded 

 lobes. Above these is, on the mesial line and in front, a cordiform 

 prominence, on each side of which is a deep fold in the form of the 

 letter S. This sac has its opening, which is common to it and the 

 nostril), below. This apparatus is the nasal purse or pouch (bourse 

 nasale) of M. Oeoflroy, and in his opinion performs the office of a 

 reservoir of air for the animal when plunged beneath the surface of 

 the water. 



Tho anterior limb is nearly one-half longer than that part of the 

 body which lies between the anterior and posterior limbs of the same 

 side. The hinder limb is about two-thirds of the same interval. The 

 third toe is longest in all the feet The three middle toes of the fore 

 foot ore united at their base by a very short membrane : the other 

 two toes are free, as well as the first toe of the posterior feet ; but 

 the second, third, and fourth of these last are united by a thick 

 membrane with a free border, which is notched as it were seini- 

 circularly between the toes. The nails are slightly arched. 



The nape supports two strong scutcheons, surmounted by a cnrinn, 

 more compressed behind than it is before. Their form is oval, and 

 their height nearly equal to their width. There is sometimes a 

 small scutcheon on each side of these. This is the cose in one of the 

 largest individuals ; namely, that described by Locepcde, and figured 

 hy Faujas de Saint-Fond in his ' History of St. Peter's Mountain,' at 

 Maastricht The cervical scutcheons, to the number of four pairs, 

 form a longitudinal band, which extends from two-thirds of the length 

 of the neck to the dorsal shield. The first two are triangular, the 

 six others quadrilateral. Each of them has a longitudinal cariua on 

 their mesial line, and there is a large scale on the left and on the 

 right of the last pair. 



Nuchal and cervical platen, Ac., of two individual* of Garialii Gangetirta, 

 from i 



The upper part of the body is transversely cut by eighteen band.* 

 of osseous plates, with equal airinic, which consequently form four 

 longitudinal rows all down the bock. The plates of the two lateral 

 rows are squared, and rather smaller than those of the mesial rows, 

 which are also four-sided ; but their longitudinal diameter is less than 

 their transversal A longitudinal row of other carinated scutcheons 

 borders this dorsal cuirass on the right and on the left for a part of 

 its length. The flanks, the sides of the neck, and a portion of its 

 upper part are covered with oval flat scales of moderate size. The 

 tail is surrounded by from thirty-four to forty scaly circles, the iinin 

 ber varying in different individuals. The dcntiluted crest dors not 

 become very perceptible till towards the sixth or seventh circle : its 

 double portion terminates at the eighteenth or nineteenth. This crest 

 is highest towards the middle of the tail, elsewhere it is delicate and 

 flexible. The scales which clothe the lower ports of the body are quadri- 

 lateral, oblong, and perfectly smooth: there are nearly sixty transverse 

 rows from the chin to the vent, and, like those of the flanks, they aru 

 all pierced with a small pore on the middle of their posterior border. 



The limbs are protected above with rhomboidal scales : tho 

 anterior limbs on their external edge ; the posterior limbs from thu 

 bock (jarret) to the little toe have a row forming a serrated edge. 

 The surface of the natatory membranes is covered with gronulous 

 scales. 



The ground-colour of the upper ports is a deep water-green, on 

 which are often scattered numerous oblong irregular brown spots. 



