Chap. 38.] THE SCINCUS. 289 



the IN'ile, have the back armed with a spine,^^ which is edged 

 like a knife, as if for this veiy purpose ; and although these 

 animals are much inferior in strength, they contrive to de- 

 stroy the crocodile by artifice, which on the other hand at- 

 tempts to drive them from their prey, and would reign alone 

 in its river as its peculiar domain. For all animals have an 

 especial instinct in this respect, and are able to know not 

 only what is for their own advantage, but also what is to the 

 disadvantage of their enemies ; they fully understand the use 

 of their own weapons, they know their opportunity, and the 

 weak parts of those with which they have to contend- 



The skin of the belly of the crocodile is soft and thin : 

 aware of this, the dolphins plunge into the water, as if in 

 great alarm, and diving beneath its belly, tear it open with 

 their spines. There is a race of men also, who are peculiarly 

 hostile to this animal ; they are known as the Tentyritfe, from 

 an island in the Xile which they inhabit.^^ These men are of 

 small stature, but of wonderful presence of mind, though for 

 this particular object only. The crocodile is a terrible animal 

 to those who fly from it, while at the same time it will fly 

 from those who pursue it ; these, however, are the only people 

 who dare to attack it. They even swim in the river after it, and 

 mount its back like so many horsemen ; and just as the animal 

 turns up its head for the pui-pose of biting them, they insert a 

 club into its mouth, holding which at each end, with the two 

 hands, it acts like a bit, and. by these means they drive the 

 captured animal on shore. They also terrify the crocodile so 

 much by their voice alone even, as to force it to disgorge 

 the bodies which it has lately swallowed, for the pui'pose of 

 burial. This island, therefore, is the only place near which the 

 crocodile never swims ; indeed, it is repelled by the odour of 

 this race of men, just as serpents are by that of the PsyUi.^^ The 



"^ Cuvier remarks, that this account cannot really apply to the dolphin, 

 because none of the cetacea possess the spines here described. He inves- 

 tigates the subject with his usual sagacity, and concludes, -with much pro- 

 bability, that the animal here referred to was a squalus, the Squalus cen- 

 trina, or spinax of Linnaeus ; Ajasson, vol. vi. pp. 443, 444 ; Lemaire, vol. 

 iii. pp. 422, 423. "VTe have an account of the contest between the crocodile 

 and the dolphin in Seneca, Nat. Quaest. B. iv. c. 2. — B, 



9' "We have some account of the Tent)Titse in ^lian, Anim. Xat. B. x. 

 c. 21.— B. See B. xxviii. c. 6. 



9« See B. vii. c. 2. The best description of the Psylli is that given by 



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