rugged in proportion as the animals grow old. If, for ex-scutcheons or shields quadrangular, and surmounted by six ample, it offered simple and regularly disposed carinations, longitudinal rows of carina but little elevated. these become ramified or divided into insulated protu- Syn. Crocodilus amphibius Niloticus, Loch. Le Croberances, which completely change the physiognomy that codile du Nil. Daud. Crocodilus vulgaris, Cuv. the species presented in its two first ages. This change is dilus vulgaris, Tiedm. Le Crocodile vulgaire, Cuv. The Crocoparticularly remarkable in Crocodilus biporcatus. common Crocodile, Griff. Anim. Kingd. The greater part of the Saurians of this group have the hind toes, the three external ones at least, united to their extremity by a wide natatory membrane. There are indeed some nevertheless in which it is shorter, and one species, Crocodilus rhombifer, wants the membrane almost entirely, in the interval of the two inner toes. With about two exceptions, all the Crocodiles have the posterior border of the leg furnished with a dentilated crest, formed of flattened scales. The two species which are said not to present this character are Crocodilus Gravesii and Crocodilus rhombifer. a, hind foot of Caiman; b, hind foot of Crocodile. Only one species among the Crocodiles (Crocodilus cataphractus) has its cervical scales similar, in regard to the extent which they occupy on the neck, to those of the Caimans, that is to say, they form a long band commencing behind the nape and prolonging themselves to the first dorsal plates. In the others, the cervical armour occupies about the middle of the neck, so that there remains before and behind it a considerable space devoid of bony pieces. The scales which cover the sides of the body are flat in some, carinated in others, and there are some which are provided with both sorts. The carine springing from the tail-plates to form the crest which surmounts that part, are in general lower, of less consistence, and less stiff than those in the Caimans. Crocodilus rhombifer must however be excepted; for the caudal crest of that species is very low, and, so to speak, osseous. Merrem appears to be the only herpetologist who has not preserved the name of Crocodile (Crocodilus) for this family: he has changed the name to Champse, the antient Egyptian name (xáuta), according to Herodotus, for the crocodile, and a word still in common use in that country. Crocodilus is the Latin form of Kooкódelos, a name given by the Greeks to a lizard common in Greece: this name, it appears, they afterwards applied to the crocodile of Egypt, when they travelled into that country. (Herodot., ii. 69.) [Nachal and cervical plates, &c. of Crocodilus vulgaris.] MM. Duméril and Bibron make four varieties of this species. Our limits will only allow us room for a lengthened description of the first. Variety A. Muzzle a little narrowed, rather flat than arched across, with small hollows and channellings, which are now and then worm-shaped, on its surface. Table of the skull entirely flat. Back green, speckled with black: two or three oblique bands of the lastmentioned colour on each flank. Zoologists seem to be agreed in allowing that there is scarcely any genus of Reptiles the species of which are so difficult to be distinguished from each other as those of Crocodilus. This task, observe MM. Duméril and Bibron, is become comparatively easy, thanks to the labours of Cuvier, Geoffroy St. Hilaire, and others, but still all difficulty is not removed. MM. Duméril and Bibron, after extensive examination, as they state, reduce the species to eight; and even of these, they appear to consider some, Crocodilus Gravesii and Crocodilus galeatus, for example, doubtful. We select as an example Crocodilus vulgaris. Description. Jaws not elongated into a narrow beak. Hind feet largely palmated; and with a festooned crest along their posterior border. Six cervical plates. Dorsal Syn. Crocodilus vulgaris, Geoff. Ann. Mus., tom. x. p. 67. Descript. Egyp. (Hist. Nat.) tom. i. p. 8. Atlas, pl. 2, fig. 1, 2. Crocodilus vulgaris, Merr. Amph., p. 37, spec. 9. Crocodilus Chamses, Bory de Saint Vinc., Dict. Clas., tom. v. p. 105. Crocodilus vulgaris, Geoff., Crocod. d'Egypte, p. 159. Crocodilus lacunosus, Geoff., Crocod. d'Egypte, p. 167. Crocodilus vulgaris, Gray, Synops. Rept., part i. p. 57, spec. 1. those individuals whose jaws are the least narrowed belong. This, as well as the following variety, is that to which The jaws have not, indeed, the same width in all, but it may be said generally, that their width, when measured at the ninth upper tooth, is only one-seventh of the length of the head measured from the end of the nose to the occiput. The table of the cranium is flat: its form is quadrilateral, but a little wider than it is long, and the anterior border is rather narrower than the posterior border, which is not exactly rectilinear; for it presents two curvatures of the same length, the concavity of which is inside. The postorbito-cranial holes are large and oval: their internal border is somewhat raised into a ridge. The inter-ocular space is hollowed into a sort of gutter. There are some individuals of this variety whose upper mandible presents a nearly flat surface, that is to say, the extreme edge of its contour sometimes happens, too, that the mesio-longitudinal region is the only part which declines towards the lower jaw. It is, for a certain part of its length, slightly concave. The ridges which form their internal orbital borders continued same individuals are, besides, distinguished by having the in front of the eyes so as to form a lozenge-like figure open face is nearly unbroken, or, at most, presents small hollows, at its anterior and posterior angles. The mandibular surconsiderably like those which are to be seen on the carapace of the Gymnopods or Trionyx. The mummied indiplanatus, but which MM. Duméril and Bibron regard as vidual on which M. Geoffroy founded his Crocodilus combeing clearly specimens of Crocodilus vulgaris, is remarkable for this condition. whose upper jaw is slightly arched across its posterior half, which presents on its mesial and longitudinal region a There are other Crocodili vulgares of the variety A, swelling more or less marked. In these the præorbital ridges are scarcely perceptible, and the inequalities on the surface of their muzzle are produced by numerous hollows, simply longitudinal or vermiculiform. As an example of dual brought from Egypt by M. Geoffroy, and which both Cuvier and himself have taken as the type of Crocodilus this group MM. Duméril and Bibron refer to the indivivulgaris [Crocodilus vulgaris.] All the individuals belonging to the first variety seen by MM. Duméril and Bibron present a strong protuberance upon the upper mandible above the ninth tooth; and, on each side of the muzzle, behind the nasal hole, a longitudinal swelling directed obliquely inwards. The edges of the jaws are strongly festooned; the teeth with which they are armed amount to thirty-six in the upper mandible, eighteen on each side, and thirty in the lower jaw, fifteen on the right side and the same number on the left. The largest of the teeth are the third and the ninth above; the first, fourth, and eleventh below. The length of the posterior limbs is equal to the extent of the body between the shoulder and the thigh. The anterior limbs are one-third less, and have the toes entirely free. The hind toes are united by a natatory membrane. Behind the occiput there are two pairs of scutcheons or shields placed across the nape, one on the right, the other on the left, of the mesio-longitudinal line. They are oval and strongly carinated. There are individuals which have only two of these scutcheons, and others which have three; but the proper number, and that presented by the greatest number of examples seen by MM. Duméril and Bibron, is four. After the nuchal scutcheons come two others, much smaller, which are placed one on each side of the neck, rather near the cervical shield. The plates which compose this are six in number, forming two transverse rows, one of four a little arched, the other of two. Of these six plates, which are squared or trapezoid, the two middle ones of the first rank are the largest, and the two lateral ones the smallest: their carina is strong and moderately elevated. From sixteen to eighteen rows of bony scutcheons may be counted on the upper part of the body, from the shoulders to the origin of the tail. When there are seventeen or eighteen, the first is almost always composed of two scutcheons only; but in general four may be counted in the first row, from six to ten or eleven in the following rows, and four only in the last rows. The back presents six longitudinal rows of carinæ, but of these the two external ones are much shorter than the others. The plates which support the carina of these two external rows are of a sub-oval form. Those of the middle are four-sided, wider than they are long: those of the other two are squared. The carina of the two middle series are lower than the others. To the right and left of these six rows of carinated dorsal plates, there are four or five others smaller and oval, which are not always disposed sufficiently regularly to form a band parallel to that on the outside of which it is placed. The tail is surrounded by from twenty-six to thirty-eight sealy rings. The crest which surmounts it is double, sometimes as far as the fifteenth, sometimes as far as the seventeenth it is delicate, flexible, and deeply dentilated. The caudal carina of the middle region disappear after the mnth scaly ring. The scales of the sides of the body and of the upper and lateral parts of the neck are flat: some are oval, others circular. Tuberculated and carinated scales may be sometimes seen among them. The limbs are covered by rhomboidal and simple scutella. The posterior border of the hind limbs is furnished with a dozen, forming a festooned crest. The lower part of the body is protected by quadrangular scutella, having often each a pore towards the middle of its posterior border. have seen eighteen individuals of this variety, from fifty centimetres to three metres in length. Those of the individuals whose locality is well proved came from Egypt or Senegal. There were eight from the latter country and among them were the smallest and the largest of the series. Among the Egyptian specimens was that dissected at Cairo by M. Geoffroy, who brought it to the French Museum, and two mummies, one a metre long, which MM. Duméril and Bibron are of opinion was erroneously considered by M. Geoffroy as belonging to his Crocodilus marginatus (variety C. of MM. Duméril and Bibron); the other, two metres and fifty centimetres in length, on which M. Geoffroy founded his species Croc. complanatus. Variety B. Crocodilus palustris. Less. Voy. Ind. orient. Bell, Zool. Rept. p. 305. Crocodilus vulgaris, Var. E. Gray, Synops. Rept., p. 58. Variety C. Crocodilus marginatus. Geoff. Croc. d'Egypte. p. 165. Crocodilus vulgaris, Var. B. Gray, Synops. Rept., part i., p. 58. Variety D. Body elongated, slender. Jaws very much narrowed; the upper jaw slightly arched transversely. Chanfrein elevated; surface of the upper mandible somewhat embossed as it were. Cranial region perfectly flat. Carina of the two mesio-longitudinal series à little lower than the others, and also more approximated. Upper parts sprinkled with black angular stains. Syn. Crocodilus complanatus, Crocodilus Suchus, Geoff. It may be expected that we should notice the antient history of an animal held sacred by the Egyptians and even elevated by them to the rank of a deity, for it was certainly one of the symbols of Typhon. Herodotus, Aristotle, Diodorus, Strabo, and Plutarch, will be read with interest on this subject. While it was worshipped in one part of Egypt under the name of Suchus or Souchis, it was eaten at Elephantine. Cuvier observes that the term Zouxos or Zoxic was only applied to the sacred individual, as Apis, Mnevis, and Pacis were appellations of the deified bulls of Memphis, Heliopolis, and Hermonthis respectively, and not intended to designate particular races of oxen. Geoffroy St. Hilaire is of a different opinion from Cuvier, who considered that Champsa *, as used by Herodotus, was not applied by that historian to the locality of Elephantine alone, nor to any particular species. Geoffroy observes that the crocodile still bears in Egypt the name of Temsa, which M. Champollion thought he recognized upon many papyri as mshah, a word which he regards as formed of the preposition'm,' 'in,' and the substantive sah' 'egg.' With regard to the Suchus, M. Champollion, the younger, states that the Egyptians gave the name of Souk to a deity which they represented as a man with a crocodile's head. We refer those who wish to follow out this part of the subject more especially to the antient authors above mentioned, to M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire, to Cuvier, and to the interesting work lately published on Egyptian antiquities as part of the Library of Entertaining Knowledge,' observing only that the Egyptians ornamented their tame crocodiles by hanging rings of gold and precious stones in the opercula of their ears, which they pierced for the purpose, adorned their forefeet with bracelets, and presented them in this finery to the veneration of the people. They also fed them well. Cake, roast-meat, and mulled wine were occasionally crammed and poured down their throats. Pliny, Ælian, and others did little but copy what preceding writers had that the Romans first saw them in the Edileship of Scaurus, who showed five. Augustus introduced thirty-six of Colour.-All the upper part of the body is of an olive-written upon this subject, but we learn from the former green, sprinkled with black on the head and neck, and marked with the same colour on the back and tail. Two or three large oblique black bands show themselves on each flank. The lower parts of the animal are of a greenishyellow. The nails are of a brown tint. Dimensions.-MM. Duméril and Bibron state that they * Καλέονται δὲ οὐ κροκόδειλοι ἀλλὰ χάμψαι But they are not called Crocodiles, but Champs. The British Museum. Egyptian Antiquities, vol. ii., London, C. Knight, 1936, 12mo. them into an amphitheatre at one time, where they were all killed by Gladiators. It is said that Crocodilus vulgaris is no longer seen in the Delta, but that it is found, sometimes in great numbers, in the Thebaid and the Upper Nile. Gavialis. Jaws very narrow, very much elongated, forming a sort of subcylindrical beak. Four notches in the upper mandible, in which are received the first and the fourth of the lower teeth. head short in proportion to the size which it exhibits at their full growth. The contrary obtains among the Gavials, for in them the head is proportionally longer in youth than it is in age, so that it has the appearance of becoming shorter as the animal increases in size. (Duméril and Bibron.) The Gavials were distinguished generically by Cuvier under the name of Longirostris, and by Wagler under that of Rhamphostoma. The term generally adopted by zoologists is Gavialis. Example. Gavialis Gangeticus. Phil. Trans. Crocodilus maxillis teretibus subcylindraceis, The upper mandible of the Gavials is never pierced for the intromission of the teeth of the lower jaw, as it is in Crocodilus; but there are four large notches which serve as lodgments for the first and fourth pair of lower teeth. The Gavials are besides distinguished by the narrowness and length presented by the anterior part of their head and jaws, which resemble a sort of straight beak spread out at its origin, subcylindrical for the greatest part of its length, and terminating in a slight circular enlargement at its extremity. These jaws are rectilinear, and not undulated as in Alligator and Crocodilus. The number of teeth with which these narrow mandibles are armed is also greater than in either of the last-mentioned genera, amounting ordinarily in Gavialis to 118 or 120, all of which are equal, with the exception of those which compose the five or six first pairs above as well as below. The post-orbito-cranial holes are oval, and larger than they are in Crocodilus, for their diameter approaches that of the orbits themselves. The external orifice of the nasal fossa or rather of the long canal, which M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire has termed Craniorespiratory, is triangular. The membrane which closes this orifice has a considerable development in the males, and forms a large, oval, cartilaginous mass. Description. The head of the Gavial may be considered This prominence is as framed of two parts; one anterior and long, almost cya kind of sac divided into two portions interually, the aper-lindrical in form, more or less flattened; the other posterior ture of which is backwards and a little below. As in the and short, presenting the figure of a depressed hexahedron, crocodiles, the eyelid contains in its substance a rudiment wider behind than before. The jaws constitute the anof a bony plate. narrowness, but not, properly speaking, cylindrical. It is terior part or beak, which is long, straight, and of extreme four-sided, but the angles are rounded. It spreads out at its base and terminates in front, so as to recall to the obthroughout less than its transversal diameter. server the beak of the Spoonbill. Its vertical diameter is The hind feet of the Gavias are formed for the most part in the same manner as those of the majority of species of Crocodilus; that is to say, there are long and wide webs between the toes, and the posterior part of the leg is furnished with a dentilated crest. The cervical plates of the Gavials form a long band on the neck, as in the Caimans, and in one species only of Crocodile. The scales of the flanks are flat and oval. The carina which surmount the bony pieces forming the dorsal cuirass are low, but the crest of the tail is very much elevated throughout the whole of its length. The Caimans and Crocodiles, in their youth, have the behind the beak, has its sides straight and perpendicular. The head, properly so called, that is, the part situated The upper surface is quadrilateral. The post-orbital portion is flat and smooth, except that one can perceive through the skin the subtriangular or ovöid holes with which the forwards, and mostly occupied by the eyes, the interval skull is dotted. The other portion is considerably inclined between which forms a slight gutter-like depression. The mandible is not continued from the forehead by a gradual slope as it is in the Crocodiles, but sinks suddenly to follow a straight and nearly horizontal direction, on a line with the inferior edge of the orbit. At the extremity of this upper mandible are the four notches for the passage of the first and fourth lower teeth when the mouth is shut. Two of these notches are very deep, and situated quite in front; the other two are moderate, and placed one on the right, the other on the left, behind the spatuliform termination of the beak, where it is slightly constricted. The division of the lower jaw into two branches does not commence till towards the twenty-second or twenty-third tooth. The ten first upper teeth, among which the two anterior teeth are the least separated, are implanted in the intermaxillary bone, and the greater portion of the teeth of the upper mandible are longer than the corresponding teeth of the lower jaw. Up to the nineteenth or twentieth pair they are turned a little outwards, so that when the mouth is shut the upper teeth pass over the sides of the lower jaw, and the lower teeth over the sides of the upper. The six last pairs are straight or nearly so, so that the points of the one set correspond exactly with the intervals of the other. The first, the third, and the fourth above, and the first, second, and fourth below, are the longest. They are, in general, a little curved and slightly compressed from before backwards, and are very slightly trenchant right and left. Hardly more than the eight or nine last on each side are nearly conical. Slight vertical ridges show themselves on the surface of the teeth of old individuals. Under the throat, about the middle of the branches of the maxillary bone, are situated, one on the right and the other on the left side, the musky glands. The external orifice of the nostrils opens on the upper | in different individuals. The dentilated crest does not be side of the beak, at a small distance from its terminal come very perceptible till towards the sixth or seventh border. The aperture is semilunar, at the bottom of which circle: its double portion terminates at the eighteenth or may be perceived a cartilaginous plate, which divides it nineteenth. This crest is highest towards the middle of the longitudinally in two. The edges of this opening form two tail, elsewhere it is delicate and flexible. The scales which lips, which appear to have the power of approaching each clothe the lower parts of the body are quadrilateral, oblong, other, so as to close the aperture hermetically. The an- and perfectly smooth: there are nearly sixty transverse terior of these is curvilinear, and the posterior rectilinear: rows from the chin to the vent, and, like those of the flanks, in the females and in young subjects they are very delicate they are all pierced with a small pore on the middle of their and quite soft; but in the old males the anterior lip not posterior border. only arrives at a cartilaginous consistence, but a development that carries it backwards as far as the seventh pair of teeth, and triples the thickness of the muzzle. This pouch or cartilaginous sac, with two compartments, is of a sub-oval form, and is notched behind so as to form two very thick rounded lobes. Above these is, on the mesial line and in front, a cordiform prominence, on each side of which is a deep fold in the form of the letter S. This sac has its opening, which is common to it and the nostrils, below. This apparatus is the nasal purse or pouch (Bourse nusale) of M. Geoffroy, and in his opinion performs the office of a reservoir of air for the animal when plunged beneath the surface of the water. The anterior limb is nearly one-half longer than that part of the body which lies between the anterior and posterior limbs of the same side. The hinder limb is about two-thirds of the same interval. The third toe is longest in all the feet. The three middle toes of the fore foot are united at their base by a very short membrane: the other two toes are free, as well as the first toe of the posterior feet; but the second, third, and fourth of these last, are united by a thick membrane with a free border, which is notched as it were semicircularly between the toes. The nails are slightly arched. The nape supports two strong scutcheons, surmounted by a carina, more compressed behind than it is before. Their form is oval, and their height nearly equal to their width. There is sometimes a small scutcheon on each side of these. This is the case in one of the largest individuals; viz., that described by Lacépède, and figured by Faujas de SaintFond in his History of St. Peter's Mountain,' at Maestricht. The cervical scutcheons, to the number of four pairs, form a longitudinal band, which extends from twothirds of the length of the neck to the dorsal shield. The two first are triangular, the six others quadrilateral. Each of them have a longitudinal carina on their mesial line, and there is a large scale on the left and on the right of the last pair. The limbs are protected above with rhomboidal scales: the anterior limbs on their external edge; the posterior limbs, from the hock (jarret) to the little toe, have a row forming a serrated edge. The surface of the natatory membranes is covered with granulous scales. Colour. The ground colour of the upper parts is a deep water green, on which are often scattered numerous oblong, irregular, brown spots. In young subjects, the back and limbs are transversely banded with black. The lower region of the body is very pale yellow, or whitish. The jaws are sprinkled with brown. The nails are of a clear horncolour. (Duméril and Bibron.) The Gavial of the Ganges is supposed to be the largest of the living Saurians. The measurement of the largest mentioned by MM. Duméril and Bibron is given at five metres, forty centimetres. Cuvier was led to think, principally from the figures published by Faujas de Saint Fond, that there was more than one species of Gavial, and on subsequent inquiry, distinguished two, the Great Gavial and the Little Gavial; but he was afterwards satisfied from the examination of numerous specimens that age alone made the difference between them. FOSSIL CROCODILIDE. In the living subgenera of the Crocodilean family,' observes Dr. Buckland (Bridgewater Treatise, p. 250), we see the elongated and slender beak of the Gavial of the Ganges, constructed to feed on fishes; whilst the shorter and stronger snout of the broad-nosed Crocodiles and Alligators, gives them the power of seizing and devouring quadrupeds that come to the banks of rivers in hot countries to drink. As there were scarcely any mammalia during the secondary periods, whilst the waters were abundantly stored with fishes, we might, à priori, expect that if any Crocodilean forms had then existed, they would most nearly have resembled the modern Gavial. And we have hitherto found only those genera which have elongated beaks, in formations anterior to and including the chalk; whilst true Crocodiles, with a short and broad snout like that of the Cayman and the Alligator, appear for the first time in strata of the tertiary periods, in which the remains of mammalia abound.' In accordance with this view, we proceed to give examples of the long-beaked division, which, while it bears a strong resemblance to the living Gavial in the form of the head and jaws, will be found to differ materially from it in some particulars. The genus Steneosaurus of Geoffroy St. Hilaire appears to come the nearest in its conformation to the living Gavial, and a general idea of the structure of the muzzle and anterior nasal aperture will be derived from the following cut of a specimen from Havre *; The upper part of the body is transversely cut by eighteen bands of osseous plates, with equal carine, which consequently form four longitudinal rows all down the back. The plates of the two lateral rows are squared and rather smaller than those of the mesial rows, which are also foursided, but their longitudinal diameter is less than their transversal. A longitudinal row of other carinated scutcheons borders this dorsal cuirass on the right and on the left, for a part of its length. The flanks, the sides of the neck, and a portion of its upper part, are covered with oval, flat scales of moderate size. The tail is surrounded by from thirty-four to forty scaly circles, the number varying [Muzzle of Steneosaurus from Dr. Buckland, who quotes De la Beche.] whilst, in Teleosaurus, Geoff., though there is considerable similarity in the general contour of the head and jaws, the conformation of the muzzle and nasal aperture is very different from that of the living saurian, the anterior termination of that aperture forming almost a vertical section of the extremity of the upper mandible. As an example of the more Crocodilean form, we select the cranium and the upper mandible of a specimen from the London clay of the Isle of Sheppey, figured also by Dr. Buckland in his Bridgewater treatise. clay of Shotover Hill near Oxford. enumerate briefly the names and localities of such as are apparently distinct; so that those who wish to form a complete collection of these pretty flowers may know where to look for them, and when their task is accomplished. *VERNAL SPECIES. 1. C. vernus. This is the common purple or white crocus of our gardens in the spring. It has produced a multitude of florists' varieties, some of which are extremely beautiful and well marked. Its root-coats are finely netted, its flowers scentless, and the throat of the tube of the flowe, hairless. C. albiflorus and C. obovatus are varieties of it It is said to be wild in some parts of England, but it ma have been introduced. It is certainly wild on the Alpa particularly of the Tyrol, Piedmont, Switzerland, Salzburg and Carinthia, descending to the sea-coast at Friuli. It is also found on the mountains of the Abruzzi and elsewhere in similar situations in the kingdom of Naples, associating itself with oaks, chestnuts, and similar trees, and not existing at elevations exceeding 6000 feet. 2. C. versicolor, the common sweet-scented, variegated, spring crocus. There are not many varieties of it, all of which are recognized by the root-coats not being cut circularly, the yellow tube of the flower bearded with hairs, and the sweet scent. It grows wild about Nizza (Nice), and in all the eastern parts of Provence. 3. C. biflorus, the Scotch crocus. The beautiful pencilled sepals and clear or bluish white petals of this species dis Anterior extremities of the beak or jaws of Teleosaurus. Locality, Great tinguish it at once; added to which the root-coats are cut Colite, Stonesfield, Oxon. From Dr. Buckland.] [Skull of Crocodilus Spenceri.] Though differing from both, it will be seen by a reference to our cuts, that this last form of head comes nearer to that of Alligator than to that of Crocodilus. MM. Duméril and Bibron, in their elaborate work on Reptiles, from which we have drawn largely, arrange the genera Ichthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus among others, under their Sauriens Aspidiotes Fossiles, an arrangement to which we cannot subscribe on account of the great difference between the organization of these extinct Saurian forms and the Crocodilide. Indeed the very heading Sauriens Aspidiotes fossiles, would seem to be a warning to exclude Ichthyosauri and Plesiosauri from such an association. We cannot close this part of the subject better than in the following words of Dr. Buckland. The discovery of Crocodilean forms so nearly allied to the living Gavial in the same early strata that contain the first traces of the Ichthyosaurus and the Plesiosaurus, is a fact which seems wholly at variance with every theory that would derive the race of Crocodiles from Ichthyosauri and Picsiosauri by any process of gradual transmutation or development. The first appearance of all these three families of reptiles seems to have been nearly simultaneous; and they all continued to exist together until the termination of the secondary formations, when the Ichthyosauri and Plesiosauri became extinct, and forms of Crocodiles approaching to the Cayman and the Alligator were for the first time introduced.' (Bridgewater Treatise, vol. i. p. 254.) CROCODILU'RUS. [LACERTIADE.] CROCUS, a beautiful genus of Iridaceous plants, consisting of many hardy species, some of which are among the commonest ornaments of gardens. Crocuses are chiefly found in the middle and southern parts of Europe and the Levant, three only being wild with us, namely Crocus nudiflorus, which is abundant in the meadows near Nottingham, C. vernus, and C. sativus. Botanists have found it extremely difficult to ascertain by what precise technical marks the species are to be distinguished. We do not propose to occupy ourselves with that subject, but shall rather No. 488. round into circular segments, a circumstance that occurs in no other species. It is a native of the most southern parts of Italy; growing wild in sterile subalpine pastures in the kingdom of Naples, and in similar situations in Sicily. Our garden plants are merely a cultivated state of the Č. pusillus of the Italians. 4. C. Imperati. This is little known in England. Its leaves appear long before the flowers, and are glaucous and spreading. The petals and sepals are a delicate violet inside, but externally white; the petals are almost wholecoloured and pale purple, except at the base; the sepals are strongly feathered with rich purple. A white and a wholecoloured variety of it are said to exist. It differs from C. biflorus in its root-coats being membranous, and not cut ci.cularly, and from C. versicolor in the tube of the flower not being hairy. It inhabits low hills and woods in the kingdom of Naples, on Capri, on Mount S. Angelo di Castellamare, and elsewhere. It is supposed that C. suaveolens is at most only a variety of this. It is 5. C. luteus or mesiacus, the large yellow crocus. characterized by very large whole-coloured flowers, and large roots, with coarsely netted coats. It is an oriental plant, but its exact locality is unknown. 6. C. aureus, the small yellow crocus, by no means so common as the last, of which it is probably a variety. Its flowers are smaller and deeper coloured, and it has a pale cream-coloured variety. Dr. Sibthorp found it wild on the hills of the Morea. 7. C. susianus, the cloth of gold crocus. This species is well known for its coarsely-netted root skin and small deep yellow flowers, the sepals of which are feathered with dark chocolate brown, and are rolled back when expanded under sunshine. It is a native of the Crimea, the Ukraine, and the other parts of south-western Russia: it is also believed to be a Turkish plant; and localities are given for it under the name of C. reticulatus, on mountains near Trieste, in woods near Lippizza, in Friuli, and in Hungary, in the lordship of Tolna. A remarkable variety with deep purple flowers exists, but it is extremely rare. 8. C. stellatus and sulphureus are pale and probably hybrid varieties of C. luteus. They have never been seen except in gardens, and are the least pretty of the genus. **AUTUMNAL SPECIES. 9. C. sativus, the common saffron crocus, an eastern plant, cultivated from time immemorial for the sake of its long reddish orange drooping stigmas, which, when dried, form the saffron of the shops. Its Asiatic localities are not known; in Europe it grows apparently wild in the south of Tyrol, and is said to have been found near Ascoli, and on the Alps of Savoy. Its British station is in all probability to be ascribed to accident. 10. C. odorus, the Sicilian saffron. This species, whica nas also been named C. longiflorus, is found in mountain VOL. VIII.-Z [THE PENNY CYCLOPÆDIA.] |