276 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



retired creek, into which they have previously driven 

 the fish, and bellowing so loud that they may be heard 

 at the distance of a mile. It is said to attack men 

 and quadrupeds whilst bathing or crossing the rivers, 

 and to be more fierce and voracious then the other 

 species of this sub-family. In Winter it buries itself 

 in the mud at the bottom of the swamps and marshes 

 which it inhabits, and continues in a torpid state till 

 Spring. 



" The true Crocodiles are natives of Africa, the West 

 Indies, and America ; and the best known species is the 

 Nilotic Crocodile (Crocodilus vulgaris, fig. 49). This 

 animal is a native of the Senegal river, of the Niger, 

 and other rivers of Africa, but more particularly of 

 the Nile in Egypt, where it attains the length of about 

 30 feet. The Crocodile was held in great veneration 

 by the ancient Egyptians, by whom it was known 

 under the name of ' Champsa.' The Crocodiles are 

 exclusively carnivorous, and are ferocious animals. 

 Their numbers are, however, kept down by the enemies 

 which surround them. For the adults, few animals 

 could be their match, but the little Ichneumon or 

 'Mongooz' devours their eggs in great numbers while 

 batching in the sand ; and birds of prey pounce upon 

 their young on quitting their shell, and "before they are 

 able to reach the shore." 



4. TESTUDINATA (having a shield). 



The Testudinata include the Tortoise, and Turtle kind. 

 They are remarkable for their horny covering (carapace) 

 which forms a sort of shell, out of openings in 

 which, their head, tail, and legs protrude ; they have 

 short feet, covered with scales, and no teeth, but the 

 edges of the maxillary bones are sharp, like the edge 

 of a knife, and they bite out pieces from vegetable 

 substances with ease. Some of this class (the Turtles) 

 are residents of the water, and grow to a great size, 

 weighing fourteen or fifteen hundred pounds, and 

 measuring seven or eight feet long. Others are much 



