FOSSIL REPTILES. 317 



characters. M. de Soemmering, in the '♦ Memoirs of Munich," 

 has given a very exact description, and a fine lithographic 

 engraving of these remains. 



The bones were almost calcined. Near them was seen a flat 

 ammonite, four inches broad, a fragment of a bluish shell, and 

 a great quantity of small scales, which M. Soemmering believed 

 to have belonged to some fishes, or perhaps to the animal 

 itself, if it be true that it was a monitor, or some other lizard 

 with small scales. 



The teeth have preserved their enamel, which is hard, brown, 

 and shining. The head was compressed, and its two sides 

 brought so near as almost to touch, and to render it impos- 

 sible to see the disposition of the palatine bones, or whether 

 there were teeth in the pterygoidean. Neither was it easy to 

 distinguish the bones of the face, nor the sutures which sepa- 

 rated them. All that could be perceived was, that the orbit 

 was large, and that the muzzle could not have been much pro- 

 longed. This would render the whole configuration of the 

 head pretty similar to that of the monitors. The form of the 

 teeth appeared pretty well to confirm this result. They are a 

 little compressed, trenchant in front and behind, pointed, a 

 little hooked, and their edge exhibits a fine and close denticu- 

 lation, altogether similar to what is observable in the land 

 monitor of Egypt and in many Indian species of this genus 

 when their teeth were not much worn. It was also seen in the 

 fossil teeth of the crocodile of Argenton. 



Fourteen or fifteen of these teeth were on the left side above, 

 but some were wanting in front. A fragment was found which 

 might have belonged to the anterior end of the muzzle, and 

 which still contained three teeth. The last teeth were smaller 

 than the others, and came even under the orbit, as in the cro- 

 codiles, and teguixin. On the right side but seven teeth 

 remained. The hinder had fallen. Nor were they better pre- 

 served in the lower jaw, which had only five on each side, but 

 in different positions. 



