CROCODILUS. REPTILES. 341 



equal ; hind legs dentated on the external margin, and pal- 

 mated to the claws. 



G. Gangetica, Cuv. The Gangetic Crocodile. Muzzle narrow, as 

 long as the head ; upper jaw with 28 teeth on each side ; lower 

 jaw with 25 ; two carinated plates upon the neck ; eyes very 

 large, with a large hole in the cranium behind them, which may 

 be felt thro ugh the skin. 12 to 18 feet long. India. Shaw, iii. pi. 60. 



G. tenuirostris, Cuv. Muzzle double the length of the head ; both 

 jaws furnished with 27 teeth on each side ; four carinated plates 

 disposed in a square upon the neck. 2^ feet long. Inhabits India. 

 Reg. An. ii. 20. 



Gen. 2. CROCODILUS, Cuv. Lacerta, Lin. 



Muzzle oblong and depressed ; teeth unequal ; legs dentated, 

 and feet palmated ; the fourth tooth in the lower jaw on each 

 side lying along a groove in the upper. 



C. vulgcuis, Cuv. (L. crocodilus, Lin.) The Common Crocodile. 

 Blackish brown above, yellowish white beneath ; upper parts of 

 the legs and sides varied with deep yellow, and in some parts 

 tinged with green ; fourth tooth on each side of the lower jaw 

 passing into a groove in the edge of the upper jaw ; six rows of 

 square carinated plates, nearly equal, along the back ; plates of 

 the neck six ; tail with two lateral crested processes. 20 to 30 

 feet long. Inhabits rivers of Africa. An. Mus. x. 82. 



The Common Crocodile, the largest of the Saurian family of reptiles, has been 

 known from the earliest times. It has the general form of the lizard, with an elon- 

 gated and flattened head rounded at the extremity. The number of teeth is about 

 36 in the upper jaw and 30 in the under one, in one single row, but the number 

 is not constant. These teeth are strong, conical, striated, and of unequal length. 

 It was long believed that the upper jaw of the crocodile was alone moveable, but 

 modern investigation has proved that the lower jaw, as in other animals, is possessed 

 of motion. The error, however, was natural ; for the centre of motion being in this 

 tribe behind the cranium, their head appeared to be raised by the opening of the 

 mouth. With the exception of the top of the head, the whole body is covered with 

 scaly plates. The eggs of the crocodile are deposited in the sandy shores of the 

 Nile, to be hatched by the heat of the sun. The young on their departure from the 

 egg take to the water ; but numbers of the eggs and young are destroyed by the ich- 

 neumon and other animals. The age to which the crocodile arrives is not ascer- 

 tained ; but as their growth is slow, it is supposed to be great. This animal is 

 considered to be the Leviathan of the Sacred Writings. Among the ancient Romans, 

 crocodiles were sometimes exhibited in the public spectacles ; and Scaurus during 

 his asdileship displayed no fewer than five of these animals in a temporary lake for 

 the gratification of the populace. 



C. Suchus, Geoff. The Sacred Crocodile. Body green, with black 

 spots ; plates of the neck longer than broad ; cranium smooth, elon- 

 gated. 5 feet long. An. Mus. x. 84. 



This animal is the Sacred Crocodile of the Egyptians, and was first distinguished 

 as a species by M. Geoffroy-St-Hilaire, from the inspection of many crocodiles brought 

 by him from Thebes. The weakness of its jaws prove that it was not a very dange- 

 rous animal ; and Herodotus mentions that the priests tamed this species, which was 

 held in veneration, and adorned it with ear-rings and bracelets. 



C. biporcatus, Cuv. With eight rows of oval plates along the back, 



