66 MIOCENE FAUNA. 



snout, obtusely rounded at the end; and its jaws are armed with 

 sharp teeth. The total length of the animal when perfect was 

 about 3 feet, at least if the head and body were in the same 

 proportion as in the living crocodile of the Nile. It was there- 

 fore much smaller than the Egyptian reptile, and so far resembled 

 rather the alligators of America, in which the broad upper jaw 

 projects beyond the teeth of the lower jaw, and the lower canine 

 teeth can penetrate into hollow pits of the upper jaw, whilst in 

 the crocodiles the canine teeth of the lower jaw are applied 

 against the outside of the upper jaw. This appears to have been 

 the case also in the Swiss species from Butikon (Crocodilus bu- 

 ticonensis, Meyer) ; so that that specimen approaches nearest to 

 the true crocodiles. 



A crocodile's tooth found in the Miocene of Stein, on the 

 Rhine, is about seven times as large as those of the preceding 

 species, and probably belonged to an animal of the size of the 

 Nilotic crocodile. The same size was attained by a crocodile 

 of which numerous remains have been discovered in the lignites 

 of the Paudeze (at Rochette). Dr. P. de la Harpe found a lower 

 jaw *40 metre (or 1 foot 3' 7 inches) in length, and a thigh-bone 

 16 metre (or 6*299 inches) long. Smaller species also occur 

 at the same place, but they have not yet been accurately deter- 

 mined. A crocodile has also been recently discovered in the 

 lignites of Kapfnach. 



The most numerously represented family of reptiles is that 

 of the tortoises, which must have contributed not a little to the 

 animation of the Miocene rivers and lakes. Eleven species have 

 been discovered in the Lower Miocene, and six in the Upper 

 (freshwater) Miocene; and to these must be added about a 

 dozen doubtful species, which cannot yet be satisfactorily cha- 

 racterized. 



The Swiss species belong to six genera, namely Testudo, 

 Emys, Chelydra, Cistudo, Trachyaspis, and Trionyx. One of 

 these (Chelydra) now pertains exclusively to America, whilst the 

 others live both in the Old and New Worlds, but here keep 

 almost entirely to the warm and torrid zones. The genus Cis- 

 tudo alone is represented on this side of the Alps, by a small 

 species (C. europcea, Linn.) . The Miocene of Lausanne possesses 

 two species (C. Razoumoivskyi, Pict., and C. Marloti, Pict.) 



