XVI 
COON THE DERMAL ARMOUR OF: /ACARE AND CAIMAN, 
WITH NOTES ON THE SPECIFIC AND GENERIC 
CHARACTERS OF RECENT CROCODI/LIA. 
Journal of the Linnean Soctety, vol. tv., 1860 (Zool), pp. 1—28. 
(Read February 15th, 1859.) 
IN the course of a recent investigation into the nature of the singular 
‘extinct reptile, S¢agonoleprs, | was led to inquire somewhat minutely 
into the character of the exoskeleton, or dermal armour, of the 
existing Crocodilia. To my surprise, I found that very little detailed 
information on this subject was to be obtained from the standard 
repertories of Comparative Anatomy, or even from the special mono- 
graphs on Crocodilian structure and classification ; but I was still 
more astonished to discover, among whole genera of recent Crocodzlia, 
an exoskeleton possessed of characters such as have been universally 
supposed to be peculiar to long extinct forms of the order, and whose 
existence in any recent species has hitherto, so far as I can ascertain, 
been completely overlooked. 
The attempt to discover the limits within which this remarkable 
exoskeleton is to be found, led me to look, more critically than I had 
previously done, into the arrangement and specific characterization of 
the recent Crocodilia. J have thereby arrived at results which, im- 
perfect as they are, may be of service by leading others to inquire 
into the exact characters of species not at present within my reach ; 
and I therefore propose to preface my account of the peculiarities of 
the exoskeleton in two of the genera of recent Crocodiles with some 
remarks on the classification of the group, and with a few notes upon 
the characters of the species and the limits of the genera. 
Every one is acquainted with the great improvement effected in 
this branch of Herpetology by Cuvier, who divided the Crocodiles, 
