FOSSIL REPTILES. 249 



Thus, in a collection of bones made at Argenton, there were 

 found seven left femora, in a fragmentary state, indicating the 

 existence of, at least, seven individuals, all of moderate size, 

 not supposed to be more than nine feet long. The number 

 of teeth in this collection was prodigious, and their character 

 differed somewhat from that of the teeth of known crocodiles. 

 There were, also, remains of vertebrae and some fragments of 

 head, from which M. Cuvier concluded the existence of a 

 species different from those of Caen and Honfleur. There 

 have, also, in several other places, been found remains more 

 or less resembling the correspondent parts in living species, 

 but of which it would be tedious to enter into any details here, 

 and, from their fragmentary state, unimportant. 



We find, upon the whole, that if the existing crocodiles are 

 more numerous than was formerly believed, the fossil species 

 of this genus also present a sufficient variety. Six, at the 

 least, perfectly distinct, can be reckoned, and which do not 

 differ less from the living crocodiles than they do from each 

 other. These are the crocodilus pnscus, two of Honfleur, one 

 of Caen, all which four appertain to the sub-genus of the 

 gavials ; and the species of Montmartre and Argenton, which 

 are referred by the Baron either to the sub-genus of Crocodile, 

 or Cayman. 



Had more considerable parts of skeletons been found in the 

 other places, which presented remains of these animals, M. 

 Cuvier thinks it probable that the characters of some other 

 species might have been determined. However, the knowledge 

 which has been gained on this subject is of great interest. It 

 proves that the crocodiles have undergone the same fate as 

 the mammalia, and that their species have not resisted the 

 catastrophes which have broken and convulsed the external 

 covering of our globe. But there is another truth of the 

 greatest importance, of which they present us with the first 

 indication, namely, that the various classes of vertebrated ani- 

 mals do not date their origin from the same epoch, and that 



