CROCKETT 



1641 



CROCODILE 



era, portion. The total area is 16,423 square 

 miles. It is a mountainous region traversed 

 by spurs of the Styrian and Julian Alps, which 

 rise in places to about 4,000 feet above sea 

 level. The northwestern region of Croatia is 

 noted for its beautiful scenery, and is known 

 as the "Croatian Switzerland." The climate 

 is healthful, but the contrast between the hot 

 and cold seasons is marked; in winter the 

 temperature is frequently below zero and the 

 snowfall is heavy. 



The soil is fertile and produces good crops 

 of wheat, maize, flax, hemp, tobacco, potatoes 

 and fruit. Coal, iron, sulphur and copper are 

 exported in small quantities. Manufacturing 

 industries have not been well developed, but 

 both Croatia and Slavonia produce silk and 

 cotton fabrics. The province under the empire 



elected to Congress and again in 1828 and 

 1832, and in Washington his strange manner 

 and dress attracted considerable attention. 

 Upon retiring from Congress he joined the 

 Texans in their war for independence. At the 

 Alamo in 1836 he was one of the six sur- 

 vivors of the siege who upon their surrender 

 to General Santa Anna were massacred by the 

 Mexicans. The brave defense of this building 

 is related more fully under the title ALAMO. 



Several crudely witty books are said to have 

 been written by Crockett, A Narrative of the Life 

 of David Crockett, A Tour to the North and Down 

 East, and Exploits and Adventures in Texas. 



CROCODILE, krock'odile, a large, flesh-eat- 

 ing (carnivorous) water animal related to the 

 alligator and regarded as the most highly de- 

 veloped of reptiles. True crocodiles inhabit 

 the warmer parts of the eastern hemisphere, 

 but three species are found in North and South 



AMERICAN CROCODILE 



before 1919 was self-governing, control being 

 administered by a governor who was responsible 

 to the Diet, and to the ruling sovereign of Aus- 

 tria-Hungary. The inhabitants are chiefly 

 Croats and Serbs, there being only a few Hun- 

 garians and Germans. The capital was Agram. 

 Population of the province, 1910, 2,619,291. 

 See JUGO-SLAVIA. 



CROCKETT, krock'et, DAVID (1786-1836), 

 one of the six great scouts of pioneer days in 

 America, also a soldier and a politician, un- 

 learned but shrewd and skilful. His maxim, 

 "Be sure you are right, then go ahead," will 

 live through tlfb ages. He was born in Lime- 

 stone, Tenn., and his training was that of the 

 wild frontier, typical of the early nineteenth 

 century. He ran away from home on his fourth 

 day at school and did not learn his letters until 

 he was eighteen years old. Under General 

 Andrew Jackson he took part in the war 

 against the Creek Indians. In 1826 he was 



GANGES CROCODILE 



America, being especially abundant in Mexico 

 and Central America; one species lives as far 

 north as Florida. 



The head of a crocodile is more narrow than 

 that of an alligator, and the snout is pointed 

 instead of rounded. Other points of distinc- 

 tion are its olive color with blackish markings, 

 the more vertically-flattened tail, and its 

 longer and more pointed teeth, the lower 

 fourth tooth being enlarged and fitted into 

 a groove at the side of the upper jaw. As it 

 is only about two-thirds as heavy as an alli- 

 gator, the crocodile is much more agile. The 

 average length of this reptile is about ten 

 feet. It has webbed feet, and ears and a snout 

 fitted for life in the water. Like the alligator, 

 it lives on fish, birds and mammals, and species 

 in India and Africa are feared because of 

 their fondness for human flesh. There the 

 short, loud bark or croak of the crocodile fills 

 natives with terror. The crocodile of India, 



