of 



159 



when hatched, immediately proceed to the 

 water ; but the major part are said to be 

 generally devoured by other animals, as 

 ichneumons, birds, &c. The egg of the com- 

 mon or Nilotic Crocodile is not much larger 

 than that of a goose, but its form is more 

 oblong. When the young are first excluded, 

 the head bears a much larger proportion to 

 the body than when full grown. The Cro- 

 codile preys chiefly on fish, but occasionally 

 seizes almost on every animal which hap- 

 pens to be exposed to its rapacity ; it is fre- 

 quently met with twenty feet long, and the 

 armour with which the upper part of the 

 body is covered may be reckoned among the 

 most elaborate specimens of Nature's mecha- 

 nism. In the full-grown animal it is so 

 strong and thick as easily to repel a musket 

 ball ; on the lower parts it is much thinner, 

 and of a more pliable nature; and the whole 

 appears as if covered with the most regular 

 and curious carved-work. The colour of a 

 full-grown Crocodile is blackish-brown 

 above, and yellowish- white beneath ; the 

 upper parts of the legs and the sides varied 

 with deep yellow, and in some parts tinged 

 with green : in the younger ones the colour 

 on the upper parts is a mixture of brown 

 and pale yellow, the under parts being nearly 

 white. The eyes are provided with a nicti- 

 lating membrane, or transparent movable 

 pellicle, as in birds ; the mouth is of a vast 

 width, the rictus or gape having a somewhat 

 flexuous outline, and both jaws being fur- 

 nished with very numerous sharp-pointed 

 teeth, of which those about the middle part 

 of each jaw considerably exceed the rest in 

 size, and seem analogous to the canine teeth 

 in the viviparous quadrupeds or mammalia. 

 The tongue is attached by its entire mar- 

 ginal circumference to the lower jaw, and is 

 not extensible, as in all true lizards : the 

 ears are externally closed by two fleshy 

 slips ; the nostrils form a long narrow chan- 

 nel, which only opens anteriorly at the back 

 of the throat ; and under the throat there 

 are two small pouches, which secrete a strong 

 musky substance. The tail is long, power- 

 ful, of a laterally compressed form, and 

 furnished above with an upright process, 

 formed by the gradual approximation of 

 two elevated crests proceeding from the 

 lower part of the back : it accordingly serves 

 as the principal means of propelling the 

 body througli the water when in pursuit of 

 fish. The legs are very short, but strong 

 and muscular : the hind feet have only four 

 toes, which are united towards their base 

 by a strong web : the two interior toes on 

 eacli of the fore-feet, and the interior one 

 on the hind feet, are destitute of claws. 



There are also numerous other particulars 

 connected with the anatomy of these beings, 

 which are very curious and interesting. 

 Such are the articulations of the lower jaw 

 with the upper, the joint being so far back 

 as to cause almost every incidental observer 

 to believe that the upper, not the lower, jaw 

 is moved in opening the mouth : the lateral 

 spines on the vertebrae, which prevent the 

 turning of the body, except in a large circle; 

 the curious set of ribs designed exclusively 

 for the protection of the belly, aided by two 



broad bones standing on the anterior edge 

 of the pelvis ; the construction of the exter- 

 nal ears ; the apparatus for the protection 

 of the eye, &c. &c. 



The Crocodile of Egypt is no longer found 

 except in the upper parts of that country, 

 where the heat is greatest, and the popula- 

 tion least numerous. Anciently, the species 

 was common nearly to the outlet of the Nile; 

 and it is stated by Pliny, that they used to 

 pass the winter months buried in the mud, 

 or in a state of torpidity. They are still 

 common enough in the river Senegal, Jaire, 

 &c. It is stated by excellent authorities, 

 that they have occasionally been killed in 

 Upper Egypt measuring thirty feet in length; 

 and a very little reflection upon the muscu- 

 lar power of such a reptile will serve to con- 

 vince us of its ability to commit the most 

 dreadful ravages on the lives of other crea- 

 tures. Were not such huge and ferocious 

 animals rendered unwieldy by the length of 

 the body and tail, they might become as 

 dreadful on land as in the water ; but when 

 on shore, the difficulty they have in turning 

 or of advancing otherwise than directly for- 

 ward, enables men and animals readily to 

 escape. In the water, the vast force it can 

 exert by means of the long oar-like tail, 

 amply compensates for want of flexibility, 

 and renders the creature more than a match 

 for any of its enemies. Crocodiles are exclu- 

 sively carnivorous, and they always prefer 

 their food in a certain state of putrefaction. 

 It may be proper to add, that the Crocodile 

 is supposed to be the Leviathan of the Scrip- 

 tures : few persons, indeed, can have read 

 the book of Job without being struck with 

 the magnificent and terrible description of 

 the attributes of Leviathan, to which alone 

 the characters of the Crocodile correspond. 

 [See GAVIAL, and ALLIGATOR.] 



CROPPER. A particular species of 

 Pigeon, which receives its name from a large 

 crop under its beak, which it can either 

 raise or depress at pleasure. [See PIGEON.] 



CROSSBILL. (Loxia.) A genus of Pas- 

 serine birds, the distinguishing characters of 

 which are that the tongue is plain, equal, 

 and whole ; and that the beak is large, thick, 



short, crooked, and convex both ways. This 

 singular structure of the beak was considered 



