CHAP. XIX.J 



REPTILES. 



405 



Order IILRHYNCOCEPHALINA. 



FAMILY 53. EHYNCOCEPHALID.E. (1 Genus, 1 Species.) 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. 



The singular and isolated genus Hatteria the " Tuatara " or 

 fringed lizard which alone constitutes this family, has peculiari- 

 ties of structure which separate it from both lizards and crocodiles, 

 and mark it out as an ancestral type, as distinct from other living 

 reptiles as the Marsupials are from other Mammalia. It is con- 

 fined to New Zealand, and is chiefly found on small islands near 

 the north-east coast, being very rare, if not extinct, on the main 

 land. A fossil reptile named Hyperodapedon, of Triassic age, has 

 been found in Scotland and India, and is supposed by Professor 

 Huxley to be more nearly allied to Hatteria than to any other 

 living animal. 



Order ' IV. CROC OD ILIA. 



FAMILY 54. GAVIALIDJE. (2 Genera, 3 Species.) 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. 



The Gavials are long-snouted Crocodiles with large front teeth, 

 and canines fitting in notches of the upper jaw. They consist 

 of two genera, Gavialis(l sp.), inhabiting the Ganges ; Tomistoma 

 (2 sp.), found in the rivers of Borneo and North Australia. 



