CURIOUS CREATURES. 313 



say, came from the Coliseum at Rome, and was then in 

 the Vatican. 



Topsell, in his " History of Serpents," dwells lovingly, 

 and lengthily, on the crocodile. He says : " Some have 

 written that the Crocodile runneth away from a man if 

 he winke with his left eye, and looke steadfastly uppon 

 him with his right eye, but if this bee true, it is not 

 to be attributed to the vertue of the right eye, but 

 onely to the rarenesse of sight, which is conspicuous to 

 the Serpent from one eye. The greatest terrour unto 

 Crocodiles, as both Seneca and Pliny affirme, are the 



inhabitants of the He Tentyrus within Nilus, for those 

 people make them runne away with their voyces, and 

 many times pursue and take them in snares. Of these 

 people speaketh Solinus in this manner : There is a 

 generation of men in the He Tentyrus within the waters 

 of Nilus, which are of a most adverse nature to the 

 Crocodile, dwelling also in the same place. And, 

 although their persons or presence be of small stature, 

 yet heerein is theyr courage admired, because at the 

 suddaine sight of a Crocodile, they are no whit daunted ; 

 for one of these dare meete and provoke him to runne 

 away. They will also leape into Rivers and swimme 



