48 THE CROCODILE. 



East, it is very dangerous to walk carelessly on the 

 banks of unknown rivers, or among sedgy grounds ; 

 and still more so to bathe, without the utmost cir- 

 cumspection, in unfrequented places. The Croco- 

 dile seldom pursues his prey far on shore - 3 and al- 

 though his pace is tolerably rapid in a direct line, 

 yet he is not sufficiently swift to overtake an active 

 man who preserves his presence of mind. 



All the rivers of Guinea are pestered with vast 

 shoals of Crocodiles. On very hot days, great 

 numbers of them lie basking on the banks of rivers, 

 and as soon as they observe any one approach their 

 place they plunge into the water with great violence. 



Bosman says, very quaintly, u As for their cry- 

 " ing and subtleties to catch men, I believe them as 

 " much as the Jews do the Gospel *." 



They are excessively voracious, and swallow all 

 their food whole ; for their mouth is neither fur- 

 nished with grinding teeth, nor have the jaws any 

 lateral motion. They are said to swallow stones to 

 aid digestion, in the manner of the seed-eating 

 birds ; and they are able to sustain abstinence for 

 many weeks together. 



The young are produced from eggs deposited in 

 the sand, and hatched by the heat of the sun, near 

 the bank of some river or lake. The female is said 

 to be extremely cautious in depositing them unob- 

 served. The general number is from eighty to a 

 hundred. They are not larger than those of a 

 Goose, and are covered with a tough white skin. 



* Bo»man's Guinea, 239, 



