246 CROCODILES AND CAYMANS. 



Their activity abates during the hottest hours of the 

 day. They then retire amongst the reeds or extend 

 themselves on the sand or in the mud. La Condamine 

 reports that they have been seen sunning themselves 

 on the banks of the Guayaquil and the Amazon for 

 whole days. M. Tremaux, being in Ethiopia, above 

 the cataract of Senadaoui, had the opportunity of 

 examining at leisure a crocodile which was thus 

 taking his siesta extended on the river-bank. " Pro- 

 fiting by his immobility, I had approached him," he 

 says, "under cover of a clump of trees. When my 

 curiosity was satisfied, I walked straight up . to the 

 animal, which, without disturbing itself, slightly raised 

 its great head and appeared scarcely to notice me. I 

 was not a little surprised to see at the bottom of the 

 slope in the bed of the river, and close to the ferocious 

 beast, two donkeys feeding peaceably and quite undis- 

 turbed by his proximity. The crocodile, which until 

 that moment had seemed to me not larger than a man, 

 then showed his real size by offering me a point of 

 comparison : he was from eighteen to twenty feet long. 

 Some minutes afterwards the enormous beast slowly 

 glided into the water, lifting one leg after the other in 

 a torpid manner; but no sooner had he reached his 

 favourite element than, with a powerful stroke of his 

 tail, he disappeared like a dart." 



It is, in fact, only in tjiis element that they enjoy 



