TRUE REPTILES. 



223 



large front teeth as well as the canines fit into pits in 

 the upper jaw. They are common in the Southern Unit- 

 ed States and tropical America, attaining a length of 

 eighteen feet. 



VALUE. Skin as leather, oil, and musk. 



Crocodiles (Crocodilidce). These reptiles are found 

 in the rivers and marshes of nearly all tropical countries. 

 The lower canine teeth fit into notches in the upper jaw, 

 instead of pits. The muzzle is sharp and narrow. The 

 hind-legs have a fringe of compressed scales behind, and 

 the toes are webbed nearly to the tip. Twelve species 

 are known. A crocodile (Crocodilus acutus) (Fig. 267) is, 



FIG. 267. Head of Florida crocodile (Crocodilus acutus), from life. 



though not generally known, quite common in the vicinity 

 of Biscayne Bay, Florida, and differs much from the alli- 

 gator in appearance and habits, living in salt marshes as 

 well as fresh, and being more or less marine.* 



* The crocodile shown in Fig. 267 was fourteen and a half feet in 

 length, and was shot after being followed three successive winters. 

 The specimen is now in the Museum of Natural History, Central Park. 

 When shot and speared it towed the boat for some distance, and made 

 a desperate resistance, finally diving into a hole in the bottom. Its tail 

 protruding, a rope was fastened to it, and tied to a bent tree, and the 

 following morning the monster was found swinging partly in the air 



