316 Crocodile-Birds. 



were soon asleep. Several crocodile-birds com- 

 menced flitting over them, and through our 

 field-glasses we watched one bird and saw it 

 deliberately go up to a crocodile, apparently 

 asleep, which opened its jaws. The bird hopped in 

 and the crocodile closed its jaws. In what 

 appeared to be a very short time, probably not 

 more than a minute or two, the crocodile opened 

 its jaws, and we saw the crocodile-bird go down to 

 the water's edge. As the sandbank was,, I should 

 say, at least half a mile across, and the bird's back 

 was turned towards us, we could not see whether 

 it vomited in the water or drank ; but in the course 

 of a few seconds it returned to the crocodile, 

 which opened its mouth again, and the bird again 

 entered. The mouth was closed, and in a short 

 time was opened again for the bird to come out, 

 and the same operation was repeated at the river- 

 bank. We saw the same bird enter the crocodile's 

 mouth three times, and on three occasions run to 

 the water to either vomit or drink." Eventually 

 Mr. Cook shot two of the birds, which, as we have 

 said, he has since identified as the spur- winged 

 plover. In conclusion, he tells us that "he never 

 knew that the fact of the crocodile-bird entering 

 the crocodile's mouth was seriously doubted" until 

 a conversation which he had recently with Dr. 

 Sclater and Mr. Seebohm. 



To this account the editor of the Ibis adds a 

 note, in which he says that " the story is univers- 

 ally believed on the Nile, but, so far as we know, is 



