5G GAVIALTS. 



Fam. 1. CROCODILIDiE. 



Character ordinis. 



Geiu I. GAVIALIS, GeoflFr. (Gavial). 



Rostrum tenue longissimum ; dentes subsequales, canina 

 inferiore utrinque in fissura maxillae superioris recondenda. 



The Gavials are distinguished by their very long* and 

 slender jaws, which are furnished with nearly equal rather 

 small teeth. The canine teeth of the lower jaw are received 

 into a notch in the sides of the upper one ; the end of the 

 muzzle is enlarged by a cartilaginous ring which surrounds 

 the nostrils forming a kind of horn behind them. 



The feet are both on the outer edge and the toes webbed 

 to their tips. 



They are confined to the old Continent. 



1. Gavialis Gangeticus, (Ganget'ic Gavial.) Scutis nu- 

 chalibus 2 parvis, cervicalibus cum dorsalibus conjunctis. 



Lacerta Gangetica, Lin. Gmel. Croc, longirostris, Schw. 

 Lacep. t. 15, cop. Croc, acutirostris, Daud. t. 27, f. 2, 

 Ency. Meth. t. 1, f. 4, cop. Shaw, Zool. t. 60. Faujas, 

 M. S. P. t. 46, 47. Edw. Birds, t. 49, Anat. Cuv. Ann. 

 Mus. X. et xii. t. 1, f. 10, t. 2, f. 11. cop. Os. Fos. v. GeofF. 

 Ann. Mus. xii. t. 5. 



Jun. Croc, longirostris, Daud. Croc, tenuirostris Cuv. Arm. 

 Mus. X. t. 1, f. 1, 11, t. 2, f. 12, from Faujas, St. P. t. 8. 



Hab. in fluvio Ganges. 



First figured by Edwards. The nuchal plates vary from 

 two to six. Teeth I4 14 on each side. In the adult the 

 head is -^ the length of the body, in the young it is -f, a little 

 longer than broad ; said to grow to 29 feet long. (Litt. Mag. 

 April, 1812). 



Gaviales Fossiles, Cuv. Os. Fos. v. it. 120. 



a. Gavialis priscus. " Rostro elongato cylindrico, den- 

 tibus inferis alternatim longioribus, femoribus dupla tibiarum 

 longitudine," Soem. 



Croc, priscus, Soemmering, Acad. Munich, 1814, t. 

 Gavial de Manheim et de Boll, Cuv. Os. Fos. v. 120, 

 124, t. 6,f. 1, etf. 19. 



