300 TRAVELS IN UPPER 



levelling at them more certain, though, at the same 

 time, less skilful blows, and laboured with success 

 for their destruction. When the little crocodiles 

 are hatched, and repair to the river, this tortoise 

 springs on them, and devours them. Maillet was 

 not ignorant of this fact, but he did not think pro- 

 per to give his report concerning it from the testi- 

 mony of the people of the country, although prefer- 

 able when it regards facts' so generally known. 

 " I know," writes this consul, "that some persons 

 u pretend that this animal (the ichneumon) is 

 " merely a species of whitish tortoise, which the 

 " Arabs call cersf (it is thirse, the generic name 

 of tortoises in Arabic). "*They tell you that, by 

 " a natural instinct, she narrowly watches the 

 " crocodile when she goes to lay her eggs, and to 

 •' bury them in the sand ; and that as soon as the 

 " crocodile withdraws, she goes to find them out, 

 " in order to break and eat them... .But without 

 " mentioning the figure which Dapper has given 

 " us of the ichneumon, which in no one respect 

 " resembles the tortoise, the numerous representa- 

 " tions in stone of this animal which still remain 

 " to us, and several of which are accompanied 

 " with hieroglyphical characters, leave no room to 

 " doubt that this can only be what is called Pha- 

 il raoh's rat." (This is only saying that we must 

 not doubt the existence of the ichneumon, or mail- 

 gouste, which no one disputes.) " This/' con- 

 tinues 



