REPTILIAORDER I.CROCODILIA. 



marshes, and ponds ; and, although never found far removed from water, 

 will at times travel long distances on land. In periods of drought, some of 

 them, at least, bury themselves deep in the mud, where they remain in a 

 semi-torpid condition until awakened by returning moisture. They are the 

 most thoroughly carnivorous of all reptiles ; and their huge size and powerful 

 teeth render them capable of seizing and killing almost all kinds of living 

 prey. Animals coming to drink are seized by the nose, and pulled under 

 water, to be ruthlessly drowned in the manner already indicated. 



All crocodilians lay eggs, which are furnished with a hard white shell, 

 and comparable in size to those of a goose. In number they usually vary 

 from one to three score. They are buried by the female parent in the warm 

 sand, where in due course they hatch. It appears, however, that in some 

 instances, at least, the female opens the pit when the young are ready to 

 burst their prison, being attracted by the cries uttered by the little crocodiles 

 while still within the shell. The young ones arc introduced to the water by 

 the mother. 



Although all living crocodilians are included in the single family Crocodilidce, 

 they are divided into several genera, some of which have a more or less 



limited geographical distribution, while others have a very 

 Caimans extensive range. Of those with a restricted range, the first 

 (Caiman). we have to notice are the caimans (Caiman) of Tropical 



America. Caimans are broad and short-snouted crocodilians, 

 with a bony armour developed on. the under, as well as the upper, surface of 

 the body. In the skull, the nasal bones only extend as far forwards as the 

 hinder aperture of the external nostrils ; and, as a rule, both the first and 

 fourth lower teeth, which are enlarged and tusk-like, are received into pits 

 in the upper jaw, so as to be concealed when the mouth is closed. The 

 upper teeth bite on the outer side of the lower ones ; and the two branches 

 of the lower jaw have but a very short union in the middle line at their front 

 extremity. A peculiarity of the genus is to be found in the circumstance 

 that the bony plates on the back are articulated together. There are several 

 species of caiman, one of which ranges as far south as the La Plata River. 

 Their true home is, however, the tropics, and in the Orinoco and Amazon 

 they occur in thousands. In Brazil they are known as jacares, and one 

 species from that country measures from eighteen to twenty feet in length. 

 In capturing these ferocious and bloodthirsty monsters, the native Brazilians 

 display great daring. 



The alligators are so closely allied to the caimans that they can only be 

 distinguished by anatomical features. The most easily detected distinction 



is to be found in the skull, in which the nasal bones extend 

 Alligators right across the aperture of the external nostrils, instead of 

 (Alligator). stopping short at their hinder border. The bony plates on 



the back differ by the absence of any articulation between 

 them ; while those on the lower surface are either very thin or wanting. Of 

 the two well-known species, the Chinese alligator (A. sinensis) is a compara- 

 tively small form, approximating to the caimans in the retention of 

 thin bony plates on the under surface, and having the front toes free. In 

 the gigantic North American alligator (A. mississippiensis), on the other hand, 

 there are no plates beneath the body, and the front toes are webbed ; while 

 there are also differences in the number of plates on the neck and back, as 

 well as in the number of teeth, which aid in distinguishing between the two 

 kinds. The habits of alligators are very similar to those of other members of 



