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the proper time of its exclufion. A young allegator 
or crocodile from North America, here laid before 
you by way of comparifon, has part of its nails 
wanting on its toes, juil as the above delcribed wants- 
them ; though in a large dried allegator, now in the 
college of phyficians, all the toes are armed with 
ftrong claws. What is moft extraordinary in this 
fpecies, and diftinguifhes it from all other crocodiles, 
is the narrownefs of the beak or chaps, which ap- 
pears like the bill of the bird, which we call a goof- 
ander (merganfer). It has fmall fharp teeth, of 
which I frail fay no more, as I have given three 
very exadt views of the head and beak. Another 
particularity is a pouch or open purfe in the middle 
of the under fide of the belly, which feems to be 
naturally formed, with round lips and a hollow with- 
in, perhaps to receive its young in times of danger 5 
as we find it in an American animal call an opofliim. 
As I have no pretenfions to the knowledge of ana- 
tomv. I afked the favour of my obliging and curious 
fiend Dr. Parfons, of the Royal Society, to affift me, 
who, according to my reqneft examined it, and gave 
it as his opinion, that the opening in the belly was 
really natural, it having no appearance of having been 
cut or torn open. In other refpedts it hath all the 
marks common to allegators and crocodiles ; viz. a 
particular flrong fquare fcalinefs on the back, which 
in the young ones appear diftindt and regular, but 
in the older ones lofe their diftin£b form, and become 
knobbed and rough, like the bark of an old tree;, 
and in having fmall, round, and oval fcales on their 
fides, which in the young ones are no bigger than 
rape 
