COMMON CROCODILE. 



m 



probably speaks Aristotle's meaning, as plainly as 

 he doth his own, he goes further, and saith that 

 the Crocodile doth not only move his upper jaw, 

 but that his nether jaw is immoveable ; than which 

 assertion, to one that hath any competent know- 

 ledge in anatomy, and seeth the head and lower jaw 

 of this animal articulated in the same way as in other 

 animals, nothing can appear more ridiculous." 



Another error which has sometimes been main- 

 tained both among ancient and modern naturalists, 

 is, that the Crocodile has no tongue : this part, how- 

 ever, is in reality very large, and even more so in 

 proportion than that of an ox, but from its strong 

 connexion with the sides of the lower jaw, it is as 

 it were fixed or tied down, so as to be incapable of 

 being stretched forwards as in most other animals. 

 The describer, however, of Seba's Museum, denies 

 that it can properly be called the tongue. 



It may not be improper to add, that the Croco- 

 dile is supposed to be the Leviathan of the sacred 

 writings^ 



VAR. ? 

 BLACK CROCODILE. 



This, according to Mons. Adanson, is found in 

 the river Senegal, and differs from the common 

 Crocodile in having a longer snout, and in being 

 almost entirely black. It is said to be extremely 

 rapacious; and has hitherto been observed only in 



