THE EGYPTIAN CROCODILE. 



29 



It also feeds on fish, which it can catch by means of its great swiftness in the water, 

 and is a dangerous foe to cattle or other beasts that come to the river-side for drink. 

 Some persons relate that when its intended victim does not come sufficiently near to be 

 snapped up, the Crocodile crawls to the banks, and with a sweep of its long and power- 

 ful tail strikes the poor creature into the water, where it is immediately seized in the 

 Crocodile's ready jaws. 



Human beings have a great dread of this terrible reptile. Many instances are known 

 where men have been surprised near the water's edge, or captured when they have fallen 

 into the river. There is, it is said, only one way of escape from the jaws of the Croco- 

 dile, and that is to turn boldly upon the scaly foe, and press the thumbs into his eyes, so 

 as to force him to relax his hold, or relinquish the pursuit. Mr. Petherick relates a curi- 

 ous instance, where a man was drawing water, and was chased by a Crocodile into the 

 recess in the earth in which he was standing while working the lever of the " shadoof." 



EGYPTIAN CROCODILE. Crocodilus vulgarls. 



The man rouched as far back as he could squeeze himself, and the Crocodile tried to 

 follow him, but got itself so firmly wedged in the narrow channel through which it was 

 endeavoring to force its way, that it could neither reach the man, whose trembling breast 

 was within a span of the reptile's terrible teeth, nor retreat from the strange position into 

 which it had forced itself. After spending some time in terror, the poor man contrived 

 to give the alarm to his comrades, who came running to his assistance, and despatched 

 the Crocodile as it lay helplessly fixed in the crevice. 



The plates which cover the skin of the Crocodile are of exceeding hardness, so hard, 

 indeed, that they are employed as armor by some ingenious warriors. A coat of nat- 

 ural scale armor formed from the Crocodile skin may be seen in the British Museum. 

 Even a rifle ball may be turned by these horny plates, provided that it strikes rather 

 obliquely ; and they are impervious to ordinary steel weapons. Modern rifles, however, 

 especially if the ball is hardened with solder or tin, make little account of the plates, but 

 cut their way through them without difficulty. 



As this reptile is so dangerous and costly a neighbor to the inhabitant of the river 

 banks, many means have been adopted for its destruction. One such method, where 



