ROOM X.j 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
33 
carnivorous, and eat their food in the water. Many large 
specimens of this genus are found in the East Indies, and 
are frequently seen preying on human bodies as they float 
down the Ganges. There are in this case young speci - 
mens of two of these species, the Hurum Trionyx 
(Trionyx hurum), and the Punctated Trionyx ( Trionyx 
punctatus ). The latter is peculiar for the leg, when drawn up, 
being covered by a moveable flap placed on the sides of 
the chest. 
The Marine Tortoises or Turtles ( Chelonice ), are distin¬ 
guished by their feet being compressed and fin-shaped; 
they live principally on fuci and sea-weeds. This is 
the Tortoise most commonly used as food, and great 
quantities of one of the species ( Test . Midas) are 
brought to England for that purpose. The horny 
plates of the Imbricated Turtle {Test, imhricata) afford the 
best sort of tortoise-shell. Over the mantel-piece is a 
large specimen of the Coriaceous Turtle, caught on the 
coast of Dorsetshire. 
The Alligators, which are peculiar to America, are dis¬ 
tinguished from the Crocodiles, which are found both in 
the Old and New world, by their feet having the toes 
free, that is, without webs, and by the canine teeth of the 
lower jaw being received in pits in the upper; while in 
the Crocodiles, they are received in a notch on its margin. 
The Gavials agree with the Crocodiles in regard to their 
teeth, but differ by the muzzle being very long and slender. 
Specimens of all the three genera are in the Collection. 
The upper jaw of these animals is generally, but erroneously, 
said to be moveable; the mistake having arisen from the 
lower jaw being much produced posteriorly. 
Case 2 contains those Saurian Reptiles which have the 
tongue long and deeply forked; namely, the Monitors of 
the Old world and its islands. Among these are the Two- 
banded Monitor {Mon. bivittatus), from India; the Laced 
Monitor [Mon. varius), from New Holland ; the Orna¬ 
mented Monitor {Mon. ornatus), from the Cape; and the 
Grey Ouran {Mon, scincus), from Egypt. All these speci¬ 
mens live near the water’s edge, and are venerated by the 
natives, who assert that they give notice of the approach 
of the Crocodiles, by hissing when they perceive one of 
those animals. Whether this be fact or fiction, the name, 
c 3 
