266 TWO YEAES IN THE JUNGLE. 



I noticed that Crocodilus palustris lias one habit which I never 

 observed in other sauiians, and which wovdd seem peculiar to this 

 species. They often stand high up on their legs, and walk off Hke 

 big iguanas, canying their bodies from six to eight inches above 

 the ground. It is a very novel sight to see an eight-foot crocodile 

 actually stand up and walk, but from the fact that I saw it done by 

 seven or eight indi\'iduals, it would seem to be a regular habit with 

 them. The end of the tail always touches the ground, but that mem- 

 ber is not dragged by any means. I saw one lean individual run at 

 a very good pace in that position.* 



The largest crocodile I shot or saw at Mullaitivu was a fine, ten- 

 foot specimen, which I encountered at very close quarters as it lay 

 in the bushes one hot afternoon, on the banks of the lagoon, north 

 of the village. While hunting quietly along the low, grassy banks, 

 rifle in hand, winding in and out among the bushes, I suddenly 

 espied, just five paces ahead of me, the end of a crocodile's tail pro- 

 jecting past the root of a tree. The rest of the animal was con- 

 cealed by the foliage. I halted, breathless with fear lest I be dis- 

 covered and my prize escape, and stood there for several minutes 

 studying the ground. I soon discovered there were two big fellows 

 lying very close together, and both asleep, but ready to awaken at 

 the sHghtest noise. One twig snapped, or one noisy step, would send 

 them plimging to the bottom of the lagoon. I backed out with 

 great caution and advanced at another opening, until I got a fair 

 view of both the sleeping beauties, as they lay dreaming of big fish, 

 dogs, coolies, and j^erhaps men. I fired at the largest specimen 

 and he died. It was the nearest I ever came to stumbling over a 

 live crocodile on his native heath. 



At the edge of the big lagoon, not far from the Crocodile Pool, I 

 found a heronry in a small grove of low, scrubby trees, which grew 

 out in the mud and water a short distance from the bank. I was 

 attracted to the spot by seeing flying foxes {Pteropus Edwardm) 

 flying near it, and on a nearer approach I saw a smaU tree-top 

 hanging full of them. No pear-tree was ever hung more thickly 

 with pears than that Httle tree with those huge bats, whose wings 

 spread four feet when extended, and whose peculiar fox-like heads 

 have given them the popular name of flying fox. They hung by 



* It -will be noticed that this strange habit, which seemed almost universal 

 with individuals of this species, was observed and recorded after the two iso- 

 lated instances mentioned on page 55. 



