168 DK. J. E. (IRAT'S STKOPSIS OF THE SPECIES 



Section II. TJie ventral scutella thin, the dorsal scntella bony, not articulated together. 

 The eyelids fleshy, smooth. The cervical scutella in pairs, separate. Nasal hone 

 elongate, separating the nostrils. North America. 



3. Alligator. 

 Head depressed, broad, without any ridges in front of the orbit. Snout very broad, 

 flattened and rounded at the end ; the ninth maxillary tooth the largest. The eyelids 

 smooth, fleshy. The dorgal scutella not articulated together, in six longitudinal series ; 

 the ventral scutella thin ; the gular and abdominal shields smooth ; nuchal scutella one 

 pair, small ; cervical scutella three pairs, hinder smallest. Nostril separated by a bony 

 septum. The feet webbed. Dorsal plates in six longitudinal series, the two vertebral 

 closer together. The sides with a short series close to the others, sometimes reduced to 

 only one or two shields. 



Alligator, Gray, Cat. Tort. B. M. 66 ; Ann. Mag. N. H. x. 330, 1863. Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soc. iv. 3. 

 Champsa, Wagler, Syst. d. Amph. 140. 



Alligator mississippensis. (Alligator.) 



Alligator, Catesby, Carol, t. 63. 



Crocodilus mississijjpensis, Daud. Rept. ii. 413. 



Crocodilus lucius, Cuvier, Ann. Mus. x., and Oss. Foss. v. 1. 1 . f. 8 ; t. 2. f. 4. Tiedem. Amph. 58, t. 4. 



Merrem, Zool. 34. Owen, Cat. Osteol. Spec, in Coll. Surg. p. 165. n. 760, 761. Blainv. Osteog. 



Crocod. t. 3. f. 1, t. 5. f. 1. Briilil, Skelet. Krokod. t. 8. f. 5, 6, t. 9. f. 3, t. 10. f. 3, 4, 1. 11. f. 2, 3, 



t. 20. f. 

 Alligator mississippensis, Gray, Cat. Tortoises B. M. 66; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. x. 331, 1862. 

 Crocodilus cuvieri, Leach, Zool. Misc. ii. 117, t. 103. 



Alligator lucius, Merrem, Tent. 34. Dum. & Bibr. Erp. Gen. iii. 75, t. 25, 26. 

 Alligator cuvieri, Bory de St. Vincent, D. C. H. N. v. 104. 



Ilab. North America, New Orleans, Texas. 

 "N'ar. 1. The nose very broad and short. The largest specimen of this variety in the 



British Museum is nearly 4 feet long. 

 "\'ar. 2. The nose narrower and longer. The largest specimen in the British Museum 

 is of the same size as the former, which is nearly 4 feet long. Are they the two 

 sexes 1 

 The young specimens in spirits have the back black, with narrow white cross bands. 

 The head pale brown, black-varied. Ventral shields in eight or ten longitudinal rather 

 irregular series. 



There is a very young specimen of this species in spirits, from New Orleans, in the 

 British Museum. It is black, with white cross bands. The beak is short, rather 

 slender, with a ridge of skin in front of each eye, giving the appearance of a frontal 

 ridge. 



