﻿276 
  Letters, 
  Extracts, 
  Notices, 
  ^c. 
  

  

  bank, 
  as 
  we 
  believed 
  they 
  did 
  every 
  day, 
  to 
  bask 
  in 
  the 
  sun- 
  

   shine 
  and 
  sleep. 
  

  

  We 
  watched 
  patiently 
  until 
  about 
  noon, 
  when 
  two 
  large 
  

   crocodiles 
  came 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  bank, 
  and 
  appa- 
  

   rently 
  were 
  soon 
  asleep. 
  Several 
  Crocodile-birds 
  commenced 
  

   flitting 
  over 
  them, 
  and 
  through 
  our 
  field-glasses 
  we 
  watched 
  

   one 
  bird 
  and 
  saw 
  it 
  deliberately 
  go 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  crocodile, 
  appa- 
  

   rently 
  asleep, 
  which 
  opened 
  its 
  jaws. 
  The 
  bird 
  hopped 
  in, 
  

   and 
  the 
  crocodile 
  closed 
  its 
  jaws. 
  In 
  what 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   very 
  short 
  time, 
  probably 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  minute 
  or 
  two, 
  

   the 
  crocodile 
  opened 
  its 
  jaws, 
  and 
  we 
  saw 
  the 
  Crocodile-bird 
  

   go 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  water's 
  edge. 
  As 
  the 
  sand-bank 
  was, 
  I 
  should 
  

   say, 
  at 
  least 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  across, 
  and 
  the 
  bird's 
  back 
  was 
  turned 
  

   towards 
  us, 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  see 
  whether 
  it 
  vomited 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  

   or 
  drank, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  it 
  returned 
  to 
  

   the 
  crocodile, 
  which 
  opened 
  its 
  mouth 
  again, 
  and 
  the 
  bird 
  

   again 
  entered. 
  The 
  mouth 
  was 
  closed, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  

   was 
  opened 
  again 
  for 
  the 
  bird 
  to 
  come 
  out, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  

   operation 
  was 
  repeated 
  at 
  the 
  river-bank. 
  We 
  saw 
  the 
  same 
  

   bird 
  enter 
  the 
  crocodile's 
  mouth 
  three 
  times, 
  and 
  on 
  three 
  

   occasions 
  run 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  either 
  vomit 
  or 
  drink. 
  

  

  Having 
  satisfied 
  our 
  curiosity, 
  and 
  knowing 
  that 
  we 
  could 
  

   not 
  bag 
  the 
  crocodile, 
  and 
  there 
  being 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  Crocodile- 
  

   birds 
  about, 
  I 
  took 
  aim 
  and 
  shot 
  two 
  of 
  them. 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  

   assert 
  positively 
  that 
  I 
  shot 
  the 
  actual 
  bird 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  seen 
  

   go 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  crocodile's 
  mouth, 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  

   was 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  Leicester 
  Museum, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  I 
  have 
  

   in 
  a 
  case 
  at 
  home. 
  

  

  Both 
  my 
  late 
  brother-iu-law 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  told 
  these 
  circum- 
  

   stances, 
  since 
  1876, 
  a 
  hundred 
  times 
  or 
  more, 
  I 
  suppose, 
  and 
  

   never 
  knew 
  that 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  Crocodile-bird 
  entering 
  the 
  

   crocodile's 
  mouth 
  was 
  seriously 
  doubted 
  until 
  the 
  con- 
  

   versation 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  having 
  with 
  you 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  Seebohm 
  at 
  the 
  Geographical 
  Club 
  on 
  Monday 
  the 
  

  

  14th 
  inst. 
  

  

  I 
  am, 
  Sir, 
  

  

  Yours 
  &c., 
  

   Ludgate 
  Ch-ciis, 
  John 
  M. 
  Cook. 
  

  

  ■2?,\-di 
  November, 
  ]S92. 
  

  

  