186 



COMMON CROCODILE. 



thiuty, drmore*; and they are so disposed as to 

 alternate with each other when the mouth is 

 closed : on taking out the teeth and examining 

 the alveoh*, it has been found that small teeth 

 were forming beneath, in order to supply the loss 

 of the others when shed : the auditory foramina 

 are situated on the top of the head, above the 

 eyes, and are moderately large, oval, covered by 

 a membrane, having a longitudinal slit or open- 

 ing, and thus in some degree resembling a pair 

 of closed eyes : the legs are short, but strong and 

 muscular: the fore feet have five toes, and are 

 un webbed : the hind feet have only four toes, 

 which are united towards their base by a strong 

 web: the two interior toes on each of the fore 

 feet, and the interior one of the hind feet, are 

 destitute of claws t - on the other toes are strong, 

 sharp, and curved claws : the tail is very long, of 

 a laterally compressed form, and furnished above 

 with an upright process, formed by the gradual 

 approximation of two elevated crests proceeding 

 from the lower part of the back. 



The Crocodile, in a young state, is by no means 

 to be dreaded, its small size and weakness pre- 



* The number is observed to vary in different specimens ; pro- 

 bably from the different age of the animal. In the skeleton de- 

 scribed by Grew, and which measured about fourteen feet in 

 length, there were thirty teeth in each jaw, and those teeth which 

 appeared to be the least worn, were serrated by small denticula- 

 tions on each side. 



t In the skeleton described by Grew there were claws on all 

 the toes. 



