74 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



sinking. It is, under these circumstances, almost im- 

 possible to distinguish them. Their bodies float about 

 forty-eight hours after death.* 



Through the hot hours of the day crocodiles like to 

 bask in the sun, especially during the winter months, 

 when the water is cold, and the sand-banks and rocks 

 are exposed. In the cool of the afternoon they slip off 

 into the water to seek their prey. Though it is never 

 safe to trust to their habits, they are, generally speaking, 

 most active and dangerous from about two hours before 

 sunset until the same time after sunrise. In the hot 

 weather, when the water is warm, they spend much more 

 time in that element, and its discoloration after rain 

 renders the stalking of prey of all kinds easier. The bad 

 reputation of the lower Pongola in Zululand is due quite 

 as much to its permanently murky nature as to the 

 number of crocodiles present. 



Crocodiles are capable of going for long periods without 

 food. The stomachs of many, perhaps of most, when 

 opened, contain only a few handfuls of smooth, worn 

 pebbles, swallowed to assist digestion. All kinds of 

 remarkable things are sometimes found, such as bracelets, 

 rings, teeth and claws of large carnivora, and so on. I 

 once found ten inches of an impala horn, the thin end 

 having been gradually worn away and digested by the 

 action of the powerful gastric juices. The crocodile's 

 tongue is incomplete, the muscle which corresponds to 

 the organ being tied fast throughout to the lower jaw. 

 The food is bolted whole, there being no means for proper 

 mastication, and, no doubt for this reason, is invariably 

 eaten as high as possible. A crocodile at the Transvaal 

 Zoological Gardens refused all fresh meat, and, in fact, 

 ate nothing for over a month ; but as soon as his food 

 * Earlier in hot weather. 



