form sockets round them ; but in the fossil animal, the feet, or bony nu 

 clei, which sustain the teeth, are adherent in the cavities, or real sockets, 

 formed in the thickness of the edge of the jaw. 



In the fossil upper jaw are eleven teeth; but, as the intermaxillary 

 bone appears to have been removed, and as it might have contained three 

 teeth, as in the monitors, it most probably contained the same number in 

 the upper as in the lower jaw. The water-monitor of Egypt has four- 

 teen at the top, but only twelve at the bottom. 



In the fossil animal all the teeth are pyramidal, and a little bowed; 

 their outer surface is flat, and is separated, by two sharp ridges, from the 

 inner surface, which is round, or rather semi-conical. Some of the mo- 

 nitors have conical teeth, and others have them rather flat and edged; 

 all the iguanas, and even the lizards and ameiva, .among which may be 

 reckoned the pretended tupinambis, or monitor of America*, have teeth, 

 with dentated edges. , 



Thus far, then, the fossil .animal of Maestricht appears to approach 

 nearer to the monitors than to any others of the lizard tribe ; but a fur- 

 ther examination, , at once, shows a remarkable variance of character; 

 the palate-bones being armed with, teeth, which at once approximates 

 it to the iguanas. 



M. Cuvier has, by, his rich resources in comparative anatomy, been 

 enabled to determine that the crocodiles, the monitors, the common 

 lizards, the dragon of Lacepede, the dracena of Linnaeus, the ameiva, draco, 

 stellio, agama, basiliscus, gecko, cam&leo, scincus, and chalcides, are without 

 teeth on the palate-bones. The iguana and the anolis only, among the 

 lizards, agree with many of the serpents, batracii, and fishes, in possessing 

 these peculiar weapons. 



,But the serpents have them on both their anterior and posterior palate- 

 bones ; the frogs and hylte on a transverse line on the anterior; .the igua- 



* This American monitor differs from those of the old continent, and approximates nearer 

 to the common lizards, by its teeth, with dentated edges^ and by the; square- scales of 

 belly, tail, &c. 



