SAURIANS. 479 



mud, where they become stiff, without being frozen. So intense 

 is their lethargy, when the cold is severe, that they may be cut 

 deeply without being roused. Their eggs are less in size than 

 those of the Crocodile, being not much larger than a hen's. A 

 peck of them are sometimes taken out of the place of deposit in 

 the sand. 



The SPECTACLED CAIMAN, A. sclerops, (Gr. skleros, hard ; 

 ops, face,) is a native of Cayenne, Brazil, and Paraguay. It has 

 its English name from a ridge across the forehead, and another 

 before each eye, showing some resemblance to a pair of specta- 

 cles. The eggs are as large as those of a goose ; usually about 

 sixty are deposited. The Indians esteem them as food, and even 

 relish the flesh of the Yacare, as the animal is called in Para- 

 guay. 



Crocodilus. The CROCODILE. (See Chart.) 



This genus is distinguished from the preceding by the sudden 

 narrowness of the muzzle behind the nostrils, which produces a 

 large notch for the lodgment of the fourth tooth of the upper jaw, 

 when the mouth is closed. The hinder margin of the leg is orna- 

 mented with a series of ridged scales, and the hind toes, espe- 

 cially the three outermost, are joined by webs to their point. 

 The sublime description of the Leviathan in the book of Job, 

 (chap, xii.,) evidently relates to the Crocodile. The most favor- 

 a.ble season for catching the animal, is the winter, when it usually 

 sleeps in sand banks, enjoying the warmth of the sun ; or else, 

 in the spring, while the female is " watching the sand islands, 

 where she has buried her eggs." Sometimes it is harpooned, 

 the coat of mail which protects the animal, being pierced by the 

 weapon. The eggs of this formidable creature are but little 

 larger than those of a goose. Many of them are destroyed 

 yearly by birds of prey and quadrupeds, particularly the Ich- 

 neumon. Herodotus speaks of a bird called Trochilus, (sup- 

 posed by some to be one of the Plovers,) which entered the jaws 

 of this animal unmolested, and picked out, and devoured the 

 bdellte) suckers or gnats. These insects also infest the mouths 

 of the Caimans, of South America. Two species of this genus are 

 found in this hemisphere, viz : the C. rhombifer, (Lat. rhombus, a 

 rhomb; fero, to bear,) found in Cuba; and the SHARP-NOSED 

 CROCODILE, C. acutus, (Lat. sharp,) found in St. Domingo and 

 Martinique. The other species all belong to the Eastern Con- 

 tinent. 



The COMMON CROCODILE, C. vulgaris, is found in the Nile, the 

 Senegal, and the Ganges, and along the coast of Malabar. 



