THE SURFACE OF THE GLOBE. 141 



But these crocodiles are not the only animals which have been found 

 n these beds of secondary limestone. 



The fine oolite quarries of Caen have produced a very remarkable one, 

 of which the muzzle, as long and as pointed as the long-nosed gavial 

 has a head wider behind, with the fossa? of the temporal bones larger. 

 It was, by reason of its stony scales, with round cavities, the best 

 armed of all the crocodiles. The teeth of the lower jaw are alternately 

 longer and shorter. 



There is another species in the oolites of England, but it is only known 

 by some parts of its cranium, which is not sufficient to afford a perfect 

 idea of it*. 



Another very remarkable genus of reptiles, whose remains, although 

 also found in the concretion of lias, abound particularly in the oolite 

 and the higher sands, is the megalosaurus properly so called, for, 

 with the shape of lizards, and particularly of the monitors, of which 

 it has also the cutting and indented teeth, it was of so enormous a size, 

 that in assigning to it the properties of the monitors, it would exceed 

 seventy feet in length. It would be a lizard as large as a whale. 

 It was discovered in England by Mr. Buckland, but we have them also 

 in France, and some of its bones have been found in Germany, if not 

 of the same species, at least of as pecies which cannot be classed 

 with i3ny other genus. We are indebted to M. cle Sceramerring for the 

 first description of it. He discovered the remains in the superior strata 

 of the oolites, in the calcareous schists (slates) of Franconia, long cele- 

 brated for the numerous fossils with which they have supplied the 

 cabinets of the curious, and which will be made still more useful 

 by the services which their peculiar adaptation for the purposes of 

 lithography will enable them to render to the arts and sciences. 



Crocodiles also are found in these limestone-schists, and always those 

 with the long muzzle. M. de Scemmerring has described one (the C. 

 prisons) of which the entire skeleton of a small individual was pre- 

 served almost as well as it could have been in our cabinets. It is one 

 of those which resemble the real gavial of the Ganges ; but the united 

 portion of its lower jaw is not so long ; the lower teeth are alternately 

 and regularly longer and shorter, and it has ten additional vertebrae at 

 the tail. 



But the most remarkable animals which are deposited in these 

 limestone-schists are the flying lizards, which I have named ptero- 

 dactyli. 



They are reptiles with a very short tail, a very long back, a muzzle 



* We expect a full explanation of it from the researches of Mr. Conybeare. 



