282 CROCODILES. 



tunate hauler who had his thigh broken, the sailors 

 told M. Tremeaux that "the crocodile, when he is on 

 land, never attacks man, and that he always flies 

 at his approach to throw himself into the river, 

 which is his favourite element." 



We have just seen that, if that is always true on 

 the banks of the Nile, it is not invariably the same 

 elsewhere. They added that, "even in that element 

 (the water) he does not always attack man ; " and 

 that is correct. 



In fact, the crocodile can be rendered inoffensive 

 by two methods, either by teaching him to fear man, 

 or by teaching him to love him ; if, indeed, the 

 crocodile is susceptible of affection for any living 

 being but those of his own family. 



But why not ? He knows how to appreciate the 

 services which the plover renders him, and shows 

 his recognition thereof in the crocodilian fashion, 

 by not rendering evil for good. Why should not 

 repeated kindnesses inspire him with the same toler- 

 ance towards man ? That it should be so with 

 captive crocodiles is a thing neither doubtful nor 

 extraordinary ; where the difficulty begins, we agree, 

 is when it becomes a question of explaining by the 

 same cause the presumed meekness of crocodiles en- 

 joying the full liberty of the waves. We have seen, 

 nevertheless, that the traveller De Brue explains 



