FOSSIL REPTILES. 305 



Saurian reptiles^ exhibiting some relations to the monitors, 

 and some to the iguanas. To this opinion M. Cuvier accedes, 

 — first refuting the arguments opposed to himself and M. 

 Adrien Camper. We must follow him a little in his reason- 

 ings here, as they are absolutely necessary to the understand- 

 ing of the osteological peculiarities of the animal in question, 



Peter Camper's arguments in favour of these remains being 

 cetaceous are briefly these. All the objects which accompany 

 the bones of Maestricht are marine, and not fluviatile. The 

 bones are polished, and not rough. The lower jaw has exter- 

 nally many foramina for the issue of the nerves, like that of 

 the dolphins and cachalots. The root of the teeth is solid, and 

 not hollow. There are teeth in the palate, which are seen in 

 many fishes, but not in the crocodile. The vertebrae have no 

 suture which separates their annular part from their body, as 

 there always is in the crocodile. There are certain differ- 

 ences between the fossil ribs and phalanges, and those of the 

 crocodile. 



These reasons, except the first, which is of no great value, 

 prove most assuredly in a demonstrative manner that the ani- 

 mal was no crocodile, but none of them prove it to belong to 

 the cetacea rather than to the reptiles. Many reptiles, and 

 notoriously the monitors and iguanas, have smooth bones, 

 numerous foramina in the lower jaw, the root of the teeth 

 osseous and solid, and vertebrae without suture. 



Moreover, the presence of teeth in the palate would of itself 

 prove that this animal was neither cetaceous, nor a crocodile, 

 for neither one nor the other have teeth in the palate ; but 

 Camper, in common with all of his day, confounded the 

 cetacea and fishes together, many of which last have certainly 

 this character. The genus Hyperoodon, of M. de Lacepede, 

 cannot be opposed to this opinion, for the Baron has clearly 

 proved that the supposed teeth in the palate of this animal 

 are nothing but cartilaginous or corneous points, adhering to 

 the skin of the palate, as in the echidna, and not teeth im- 



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