CROCODILE. 



535 



hiliabitants are Croats and Rascians, mixed with a 

 lew Germans and Hungarians. The Croats, a Scla- 

 vonic tribe, are Roman Catholics, and are known as 

 good soldiers, but have made little progress in science 

 and the arts ; nay, they have not among them even 

 all of the ordinary mechanics. Their language is the 

 Slaveno-Horwatic dialect. In Turkish Croatia (on 

 the Unna and near Bihatsch), they are Greek Catho- 

 lics. Civil Croatia is fertile, and intersected by 

 heights of very moderate elevation, extending down 

 from Styria and Carniola. Military Croatia, however, 

 towards Bosnia and Dalmatia, has mountains rising 

 to the height of 5400 feet ; as, for instance, Wellebit, 

 the Plissivicza mountains, and the mountains ot Zrin. 

 The climate is healthier than that of the neighbouring 

 Sclavonia, and mild. The country produces chiefly 

 wine, tobacco, grain of various sorts, including maize, 

 fruits, particularly plums, wood, cattle, horses, sheep, 

 swine, game, fish, bees, iron, copper, and sulphur. 



CROCODILE (crocodilus) ; a genus of saurian, or 

 lizard-like reptile, species of which are found in the 

 old and new world. That inhabiting the Nile and 

 other rivers of Africa has been known for many 

 ages, and celebrated, from the remotest antiquity, 

 for qualities which render it terrible to mankind. 

 As the largest reptile known,* and as the most 

 ferocious and destructive of the inhabitants of the 

 waters, it could not but command the attention, and 

 excite the fears, of those who were near enough to 

 observe its peculiarities. Few persons have read the 

 sublime 1 book of Job, without being struck with the 

 magnificent and terrible description of the attributes 

 of leviathan to which alone the characters of the cro- 

 codile correspond. It is not surprising that the 

 Egyptians, who deified almost everything, should 

 place among their gods animals so powerful and de- 

 structive, though a better reason is to be found in 

 the defence which they afforded against the incur- 

 sions of Arabs and other robbers, who were not fond 

 of adventuring across canals and rivers frequented by 

 crocodiles. A regular priesthood and worship were 

 consecrated to this ferocious deity, and in the temple 

 of Memphis a sacred individual of the species was 

 reared with great care, being abundantly ted, adorn- 

 ed with jewels, and lodged in a spacious basin, hav- 

 ing offerings and sacrifices made to him. Being thus 

 fed and managed, the terrible reptile became suffi- 

 ciently mild and tractable to be led about hi ceremo- 

 nial processions. When he died, the priests embalmed 

 his body, and buried it in the royal sepulchre ! So 

 much for the wisdom of the nation which is common- 

 ly regarded as the most enlightened of antiquity ! 

 The most ancient description of the crocodile is that 

 given by Herodotus, in his observations on Egypt, in 

 Jus first book. This account, though mingled with a 

 considerable share of fable, is generally correct ; and 

 some of the errors still in existence concerning this 

 animal, appear to be derived from his statement : 

 such are the stories of the bird which picks the cro- 

 codile's teeth, and that the animal moves only the 

 upper jaw. The latter assertion, though utterly in- 

 correct, is repeated, even at this day, by persons who 

 have had opportunities of knowing better from actual 

 observation, had they not been too much bunded by 

 prejudice to profit thereby. 



The genus is characterized by the following 

 peculiarities : The tail is compressed or broadest 

 vertically; the posterior feet are wholly or partly 

 palmated ; the tongue attached to the mouth, even 

 to its very edges, without being in the least exten- 

 sible , a single range of simple pointed teeth ; the 



* The skeletons of much larger reptiles have been dis- 

 covered within the last half century ; but, from the strata in 

 which they were found, it is certain they had become ex- 

 tinct long before the earth was inhabited by man. 



male organ single. There are five toes on the 

 front, four on the hind feet, only three toes of each 

 foot being provided with claws. The body, above 

 and below, and the entire length of the tail, are 

 covered with square scales or plates, most of those 

 on the back having ridges or spines of various 

 lengths: the flanks are only protected by small 

 round scales. Two ranges of spines, forming p 

 double dentated line, are placed at the base of the 

 tail, which subsequently unite or form a single ridge 

 on the remainder of its length. The ears are ex- 

 ternally closed by two fleshy slips : the nostrils form 

 a long narrow canal, which only opens interiorly at 

 the back of-the throat. The eyes are provided with 

 three lids ; and under the throat there are two 

 small pouches, which secrete a strong musky 

 substance. Cuvier has divided the genus into three 

 sub-genera, viz. gavials, having an elongated narrow 

 beak or snout ; caymans, or alligators, with broad 

 snouts, and having four lower teeth to fit into holes 

 excavated for them in the upper jaw ; and crocodiles 

 proper, having the head oblong, twice as long as 

 broad, and the four long lower jaw teeth passing by 

 grooves, and not entering into cavities in the upper 

 jaw. The gavials are most common in, if not pecu- 

 liar to, the great rivers of India. The alligators are 

 confined to the new continent, and the crocodile 

 proper, with a single exception, to Africa. These 

 reptiles are truly formidable, from their great size 

 and strength, and, if they were not rendered un- 

 wieldy by the length of the body and tail, might 

 become as dreadful on land as in the water, where 

 they can act to the greatest advantage. Where 

 they abound, it is extremely dangerous to venture 

 into the rivers for the purpose of bathing, or tjfe be 

 carelessly exposed in a small boat. On shore, their 

 shortness of limb, great length of body, and difficulty 

 of turning, or of advancing otherwise than directly 

 forward, enable men and animals readily to escape 

 pursuit. For a crocodile of twelve, fifteen, or 

 eighteen feet in length, to turn fairly, it must neces- 

 sarily describe a very large circle. In the water, 

 the vast force it can exert by means of the long 

 oar-like tail, amply compensates for want of flexibi- 

 lity, and renders the animal more than a match for 

 any of its enemies. The force with which it darts 

 through the water, in pursuit of prey, resembles the 

 flight of an arrow rather than the progression of a 

 huge animal, and, when engaged in rude gambols, 

 or in combating with others of its kind, the waves 

 are lashed into foam, and maybe truly said to " boil 

 like a pot." The mouth, when expanded, forms a 

 horrible chasm, extending even to the ears, and 

 armed around its border by strong pointed teeth. 

 This construction, with the absence of lips, and the 

 confined position a'' the tongue, shows that the action 

 of the mouth is confined simply to seizing and tearing 

 the food. These animals are exclusively carnivorous, 

 feeding on such animals as frequent the waters, 011 

 fish, or carcasses thrown into the streams they in- 

 habit. They always prefer their food in a certain 

 state of putrefaction, and are found to keep animals 

 killed by themselves in the mud, until jjiis process 

 has begun. In regard to the general character and 

 habits of crocodiles, we might safely refer to the ac- 

 count given in the first volume of this work, under 

 the title Alligator, which has been more carefully 

 observed. They are so similar in every respect, 

 that what is said of the American species, with very 

 slight modification, will hold good of the African. 



The crocodile of Egypt is no longer found, except 

 in the upper parts of that country, where the heat 

 is greatest, and the population least numerous. An- 

 ciently, the species was common nearly to the outlet 

 of the Nile ; and it is stated by Pliny, that the} 



