See Lacerta, Herpetology Index.

Fossil Crocodile, one of the remarkable discoveries in the fossil world which later times have produced. It is the skeleton of a large crocodile, almost entire, found at a great depth under ground, bedded in stone. This was in the possession of Linkius, who wrote many pieces of natural history, and particularly an accurate description of this curious fossil. It was found in the side of a large mountain in the interior of Germany, and in a stratum of black stone, somewhat like slate, (marl probably), but of a coarser texture, the same with that in which the fossil fishes in many parts of the world are found. This skeleton had the back and ribs very plain, and was of a much deeper black than the rest of the stone; as is also the case in the fossil fishes which are preserved in this manner. The part of the stone where the head lay was not found; this being broken off just at the shoulders, but that irregularly; so that in one place a part of the back of the head was visible in its natural form. The two shoulder bones were very fair, and three of the feet were well preserved: the legs were of their natural shape and size, and the feet preserved even to the extremities of the five toes of each.

Crocodile (crocodilus), in Rhetoric, a captious and sophistical kind of argumentation, contrived to seduce the unwary, and draw them speciously into a snare. It has its name crocodile from the following occasion, invented by the poets. A poor woman, begging a crocodile that had caught her son walking by the riverside to spare and restore him, was answered, that he would restore him, provided she would give a true answer to a question he should propose: the question was, Will I restore thy son or not? To this the poor wo- Crocodile man, suspecting a deceit, sorrowfully answered, Thou wilt not: and demanded to have him restored, because she had answered truly. Thou liest, says the crocodile; for if I restore him thou hast not answered truly: I cannot therefore restore him without making thy answer false. Under this head may be reduced the propositions called mentientes or insolubiles; which destroy themselves. Such is that of the Cretan poet: Omnes ad unum Cretenses semper mentiuntur: "all the Cretans, to a man, always lie." Either then the poet lies when he asserts that the Cretans all lie, or the Cretans do not all lie.