2 70 CROCODILES AND SNAKES 



violent battles between the males. Tlie huge tails beat the water so 

 violently at such times that it shoots up into the air like a fountain 

 and all animals flee from the neighljorhood. The female crocodile 

 lays from forty to sixty eggs the size and shape of a goose tgg, covered 

 with a rough chalky shell, and then covers them with sand. She then 

 stays near them and watches them with great care. When the young 

 ones are ready to creep out of their shells, she breaks them open since 

 the young crocodile cannot do this itself. Until very recently no one 

 has 1)een able to explain how tiie mother crocodile knew just the right 

 moment in which to 1)reak open the shell. A naturalist has noticed 

 that the young animals make a peculiar noise which serves as a signal 

 to the watchful mother. The crocodile is of little use to the European. 

 The natives, however, regard the crocodile meat, fat and eggs as a 

 delicate food. The natives kill the crocodile with an ir()n-tip])ed spear. 

 The modern fire-arm is much more effective, the bullets of which 

 alwavs pier-cc through their tough coats. 



Tortoises.— What the advantage of the strong coat is to the 

 tortoise is not very difficult to see, for it acts, of course, as a ])rotec- 

 tion against the manv creatures which would be only too glad to ])rey 

 upon so dainty a morsel if they were able to do so. ]\Iany of the 

 tortoises have no offensive weai)ons of any kind, and, l)Ut for their 

 hard shells, would l)e (juite at the mercy of their enemies, while even 

 those which are gifted with shar])ly-edged and powerful jaws are not 

 sufficiently active to make very much use of them, and a foe approach- 

 ing them from the rear would easily be able to overcome them. But, 

 secure in their armor-kke garments, the tortoises can bid defiance to 

 almost anv foe excepting man himself, and so afff^rd us another instance 

 of the perfect manner in which nature has formed every part of the 

 hodies of her servants. 



There are many kinds of tortoises found in different parts of the 

 world, some of which li\e upon land and others in the w^ater. Several 

 of these are very curious. 



The land tortoises possess large and powerful claw^s, which, when 

 urged bv the mighty muscles of the limbs, will tear up the soil at a 

 really w^onderful pace. Those w^r'ch live in the w^ater, have their toes 

 connected with one another by broad and strong webbing, so that here, 



