36 



NOTE ON THE FOSSIL GHARIAL 



This fossil is water worn, and some of the projecting bones, especially 

 of the sphenoid, are mutilated at the extremities ; but the general character 

 of the head, and the form and position of the foramina, &c. appear to cor- 

 respond completely with that of the existing Gharidl. 



There is no approach to any of the peculiarities pointed out by Cuvier 

 in the Caen and other fossils. On the upper surface we have, in the frontal, 

 the same concavity between the orbits ; the same form of the crotaphite 

 foramina, with the parietal surface between them of the same comparative 

 width ; the posterior frontal separating the orbit from the crotaphite fora- 

 mina corresponds ; the form of the mastoid bones both in themselves and 

 at their articulation with the apophysis of the os tympani, strictly agree 

 with the existing Gharidl of the present rivers. — The same may be said of 

 the lateral and lower faces, in the external widening out of the pterygoid 

 apophyses, in the situation of the hinder nasal fossa ; the elevation of the 

 orbital edge of the pyal ; with the deep emargination, the form and propor- 

 tions of the jugal ; with the temporal fossa, and the sharp elongated inter- 

 nal process of the squamous bone : the form of the palatine holes, and 

 the relative situation of the teeth to these holes, are points all of which 

 agree with the living animal ! 



The animal to which this fossil belonged was not quite 20 feet long — 

 the complete head from the tip of the muzzle to the posterior margin of the 

 occipital condyle being about 47 inches. The measurements which I have 

 made of the existing Gharidl shew the proportion of the head to the length 

 of animal as 1 to 5. 



The following measurements of another fragment, consisting of the 

 anterior extremity of the beak or muzzle of the upper jaw will still further 

 go to establish the resemblance. 







Existing Animal. 



















Fossil. 





10 Feet 5 Inches long. 



8 Feet 8 Inches long. 









Inches. 



Metres. 



Inches. 



Metres. 



Inches. 



Metres. 



Length of intermaxillary on suture 

















5.11 



0.120 



4.4 



0.111 



8.30 



0.210 





1.55 



0.038 



1.25 



0.031 



2.70 



0.069 



r>itto 4th 



2.00 



0.050 



1.60 



0.040 



3.40 



0.086 



Ditto 3d 



2.20 



0.055 



1.80 



0.046 



4.00 



O.lOl 





0.70 



0.017 



0.60 



0.015 



1.40 



0.035 





0.90 



0.022 



0.70 



0.017 



1.40 



0.035 



