THE CROCODILE. 10 



Supposed \time of its existence. 



young are devoured by various kinds of fish, 

 and their numbers are also lessened by supply- 

 ing food to their own species. It is, however, in 

 the destruction of their eggs that the most ma- 

 terial service is effected. The vultures, and other 

 ravenous creatures, devour and destroy millions 

 of them ; and even the negroes, who spare no 

 pains to obtain them, esteem them delicious 

 morsels. 



Notwithstanding the extraordinary accounts 

 given both by Linnaeus and the most distin- 

 guished naturalists, yet the fact of the crocodile's 

 devouring her offspring is doubted by some. 

 There is one species of this creature called the 

 open-bellied crocodile, which, like the opossum, 

 is furnished with a false belly, into which the 

 young creep when danger is apprehended ; but 

 probably this species is viviparous, and fosters 

 her young, that are prematurely excluded, in this 

 second womb until they arrive at maturity. 



Of the time these animals exist, there are 

 many opinions among the ancients, who were 

 extremely partial to the invention of fables re- 

 specting them ; but the most likely is that of 

 Aristotle, who supposes the term of their lives to 

 be about that of the human species. In some 

 countries the crocodile is still an object of vene- 

 ration. 



There are various accounts given of the man- 

 ner in which crocodiles are taken. The Java- 

 nese sometimes catch them with a hook ancj 



c 2 



