The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-10-09
GAKnEa CRnconILE.


cases concavc antcrioFly. and afford attachment
TO ribs whose motions, in many instances,
supply the place OF lipbs, which In lower
Reptilia. remain absent or arc rudimentary, or
merely act accessofiea TO the sinuous move
ments Of the trunk. II Is only among the
highest specimens Of ibis class that well-de-
veloped limbs spines whose regions are distinct.
and hearts with cavities completely separated
appear These likewiseals possess specialized
poctoral aud pelvie girdIes, such as arc found in
connection with the fore and hind limbs of
more developed creatures. Moreover, their
cranial bones are Ossffed. not caTtilaginous as
for the most part In R1trachia and the head fs
united to tho body by single ball.And-soeket
joint. Relatively 10 the entire bulk of the body,
or TO tho size of tho whole head reptiles
brain Is small, but at the same time that it
exhibits a tendency in the anterior to overlap
the posterior lobcS, the latter arc also we'll
developed. In fact the nervous system of the
class presents u decided superiority in structure
to that Of Immediately inferior animals.
Throughout this group with the exception
of turtles) the jaws are set with small sharp,
and often Tccurved teeth, which are not used
for mastieation but only to seize and retain
prey. Consonantly with this function of their
dentatuTe, ReptlliA often have teeth set in the
bony structures forming tho roof and back part
of tho mouth. Almost all of thom arc carniv-
erous. possess long, iongitudinaly- folded aud
very diIatable outlets, comparatively simple
stomachs aud short aud but little -coiled in
testinal tracts. Their reproductive organs ex-
hibit more or less bird.ike type and the
class generally is oyiparOus, although tho Vp-
crime snakes horned toads and some footleas
lizards are ovoviyiperous. The torrid zone is
their true home, aud here (sgain except the
turtles, which are chiefly distributed In tom
perato latitudes) Reptilia attain the greatest
stzo aud reach their maximum numbers.
ha r. Rnu
"rRusT ALONE TO SHEER FORCE FOR PRO-
TECrIoH."
But among the smaller subdivisions, poison
fangs protective resemblancos and various skin
diferentiations, from scales TO spines aud
Armor- or-plates, afford a certain security against
attack.
Most Of the more important reptilian traits
already enumerated display themselves In
erocodiles and alligatoEs, and those which are
special may be stated as follows:
In Crocodilia tho teeth arc set In conical jaw
sockets, their limbs are freely articulated, and
the digits are separate. The muscular appa-
ratus Is the most completely developed among
existing animals of the class; the dorsal plates
are ossiied their pupils are vertical, and the
eyes are protected both by lids and nIctitat-
| ing membrane. Further the nostrls and cars
have cuticulaT valves and tho opening Of the
| wind.pipe Ia surrounded with a collar" by
| air-p passages when the creature with its jaws
distended by prey, is submerged. Crocodiles
| also have tho ventricles OF the heart com
petcly separated in all of tho three groups into
which tho order is divided. They inhabit the
tropical and subtropical parts of America, Asia,
Africa and Australia, and wherever found are
| large, powerful, and often dangerous beasts.
In tho Ganges and its tributaries, the gavial
or nakoO (Gavialis gangeticus) attains the
greatest size of any e1tant form of CrOcodilia
| being sometimes 20 feet in length. It's snout
| is elongated, linear aud Enthusiastically ex-
| panded at the end while In old males the
| nasal sacs are frequently much enlarged, and
| tho period during which they can remain
| under water Is correspondingly longthened.
| Among gaVaIa also, the cutaneous plates
| covering tho top of tho head and back are con-
| tinuous, and the lower canine teeth, which, as
In allied forms, are considerably developed and
| constitute its principal means OF prehenson,
| fit into sockets situated in the upper jaw, SO
| that when the mouth is closed thcy are invsi-
| bic. Females in this species
ARE MUCH SMALLER THAN MALES;
| they want also the developed nasal sacs of
| their consorts, and consequently require to rise
| TO the surface more frequently. In all cases
| the young display broad, depressed snout,
| similar to that which is found among all igators
| Between the highly specialized gavials aud
| crocodiles proper, which inhabit all continental
areas, naturalists place Tomistoma, single
| genus with but one species. This is said to be
confined to Borneo, and the animal is not very
| we'll known.
| Crocodilus vulgaris the Nile crocodile, the
sacred saurian OF old Egypt and of some parts OF
| modern India, is somewhat less In size than
the dangetic nakoo, but with the exception of
having broader snout, which is not expanded
at the end, 1t 10 otherwise nearly identical with
| the former.
@. porosus, the fierce and tenacious denizen of
| the estnaries Of the Indian, Australasian and
Polynesian coasts, and which ranges as far south
as Australia G. americanus found from Brazil
to the Florida reefs and inlets, and the Orinooo
| species, q. intermedia with an almost coexten-
| siVe distribution. comprises the chief divisions
Of this group, whose differences except SO far