NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Curious mechanism of the armour. 



beast are two jaws of numerous sharp-pointed 

 teeth, thirty or more on each side; its eyes are 

 large and fiery, projecting out of the head, and 

 secured within an osseous orbit, but immovable, 

 so that they can only see as they walk straight 

 forward. The upper part of the snout and fore- 

 head consists of one fixed bone, reaching to the 

 ears, which are broad, surrounded with a little 

 border, and growing near the joint of the upper 

 jaw, where also the largest scales begin. Some 

 have toes both on their fore and hind feet, others 

 have only four on their hind feet, but the fore 

 feet have universally five, with pointed and 

 crooked nails. The upper part of the body is 

 fenced with chomboidical scales, so closely join- 

 ed together, that no separation is discernible, and 

 a circular streak on each. 



The armour with which the upper part of the 

 body is coated, may be accounted among the 

 most elaborate pieces of Nature's mechanism. 

 In the full-grown animal it is so strong as easily 

 to repel a muskei ball ; on the lower part it is 

 much thinner and more pliable. The whole ani- 

 mal appears as if covered with the most regular 

 and curious carved work. The color of the full- 

 grown crocodile is blackish-brown above, and 

 yellowish-white beneath ; the upper parts of the 

 legs and sides are varied with deep yellow, and 

 in some parts tinged with green. 



The crocodile and alligator have the largest 

 mouths of almost any animals. It has been 



