THE CROCODILE 263 



indicating much wear, as is so frequently the 

 case among the terrestrial animals of all kinds. 

 At the extremities of the short forearms croco- 

 diles are furnished with a hand-like foot terminat- 

 ing in long claws sometimes fully 2 inches in 

 length, which, it has been suggested, are used 

 for holding their prey whilst with their teeth they 

 tear and devour it. They carry four small 

 glands of musk, two beneath the jaws and two 

 a little in front of the hind legs, but though 

 strong and of good quality I am unaware that 

 the natives attach any value to it. Certain 

 portions of the skin can be utilised for com- 

 mercial purposes, but I fancy that only a very 

 small percentage of the vast numbers of articles 

 which are exhibited in Europe made apparently 

 from the hides of these reptiles ever came from 

 the body of any creature even remotely re- 

 sembling them. 



Although not possessed of lungs of abnormal 

 size, these weird types can apparently remain 

 submerged for unhmited periods of time and, 

 unlike the hippopotamus, on regaining the sur- 

 face, renew their air supply without a sound, 

 quietly and unostentatiously ^vithd^awing from 

 the surface obviously intent upon avoiding 

 notice or remark. It has been suggested by 

 other observers that the stones invariably found 

 in the stomach of the crocodile are swallowed as 

 in the cases of fowls and other birds for the 

 purpose of assisting digestion. The natives 

 of various parts of Africa, however, state 

 that they are swallowed to assist the creature 



