LIZARDS. 321 



Asia, Africa, and America. It is of enormous voracity and 

 strength; is amphibious, swims with amazing fleetness, attacks 

 mankind and the largest animals with most daring impetuosity. 

 Of all monsters it has the largest mouth, and moves both its jaws 

 equally. 



The Negroes of some parts of Africa are sufficiently bold 

 and skilful to attack the Crocodile in his own element. They 

 fearlessly plunge into the water, and diving beneath the Crocodile 

 plunge the dagger with which they are armed into the creature's 

 belly, which is not protected by the coat of mail that guards the 

 other parts of its body. The usual plan is to lie in wait near the 

 spot where the Crocodile is accustomed to repose. This is usually 

 a sandy bank, and the hunter digs a hole in the sand, and armed 

 with a sharp harpoon patiently awaits the coming of his expected 

 prey. The Crocodile comes to its accustomed spot, and is soon 

 asleep, when it is suddenly roused by the harpoon, which pene- 

 trates completely through its scaly covering. The hunter imme- 

 diately retreats to a canoe, and hauls at the line attached to the 

 harpoon until the Crocodile is at the surface, when a second har- 

 poon is darted. The struggling animal is soon wearied out, 

 dragged to shore, and dispatched by dividing the spinal cord. In 

 order to prevent the infuriated reptile from biting the cord asun- 

 der, it is composed of about thirty small lines, not twisted, but 

 only bound together at intervals of two feet. 



The Alligatok, or Cayman, is an inhabitant of the New 

 World, and is unpleasantly common in the rivers of North Ame- 

 rica. It pursues fish with exceeding dexterity, by driving a shoal 

 of them into a creek, and then plunging amid the terrified mass, 

 and devouring its victims at its pleasure. It also catches pigs, 

 dogs, and other animals that venture too close to the river. In 

 that casOj as the animal is too large to be swallowed entire, the 

 Alligator conceals it in some hole in the bank until it begins to 

 putrefy, when it is dragged out, and devoured under the conceal- 

 ment of the rank herbage fringing the river. 



The usual method of taking this creature is by baiting a 

 most formidable four-pointed hook, composed of wooden spikes 



V 



