CROCODILES AND SNAKES 269 



the water they seem, almost hke different creattires, so swiftly and 

 easily do they pass along, and so active and even graceftil are their 

 movements. 



The crocodile swims, not like the otter, by means of its legs, 

 but, like the whale, by the aid of its tail. The tail of the crocodile is 

 very large and can be used with terrible effect as a weapon, when it is 

 lashed fiercely from side to side by the angry animal. But this very 

 same movement, which is useful in one way upon dry ground, is useful 

 in another in the water, serving to drive the animal rapidly along. 



But speed is not enough. The crocodile is a beast of prey and 

 feeds upon many creatures which are even faster and more active than 

 itself. How is it to catch these? It cannot overtake them, and if it 

 merely floats upon the surface of the water, they are far too wary to 

 venture within its reach. How is it, then, to manage? 



This question we may answer easily enough, by merely looking 

 at the structure of its nostrils. Instead of being placed in the usual 

 position, they are situated upon a kind of prominence at the end of 

 the snout, so that the animal can sink its body wholly beneath the 

 water, and yet be able to breathe without difficulty. AH that is then 

 visible is the extreme tip of the nostrils, and even this projects so 

 slightly above the surface that it cannot be seen without great diffi- 

 culty. And so a dog or a bird might come to drink within a foot of 

 its terrible enemy, and yet know nothing of its presence until safely 

 enclosed in the murderous jaws. Then, again, supposing that the 

 crocodile sees an animal some distance away, it can swim closely up 

 to its unsuspecting victim without showing even its head above the 

 water, and so, often succeeds by craft when open attack would fail. 



There is another way, also, in which its elevated nostrils are of 

 service to the crocodile. When it has seized a large animal which 

 nu'ght struggle for a long time and perhaps even break free if merely 

 held in the mouth, the crocodile immediately sinks beneath the surface 

 of the stream and holds its prey there ttntil it is drowned. Meanwhile, 

 however, the crocodile itself can breathe quite freely, as long as its 

 nostrils are not under water, although its mouth be quite submerged. 



Fighting Crocodiles. — Among themselves the crocodiles are 

 usually quite peaceful. But at the pairing season there are often 



