HABITS OF AIXIGATORS. 249 



to assist the young out of the place of confinement and 

 out of the egg. She leads them to the edge of the water, 

 and then leaves them to catch small fish for themselves. 

 Assistance to come forth seems necessary, for here, 

 besides the tough membrane of the shell, they had four 

 inches of earth upon them ; but they do not require 

 immediate aid for food, because they all retain a portion 

 of yolk, equal to that of a hen's egg, in a membrane in 

 the abdomen, as a stock of nutriment, while only begin- 

 ning independent existence by catching fish. Fish is 

 the principal food of both small and large, and they are 

 much assisted in catching them by their broad scaly tails. 

 Sometimes an alligator, viewing a man in the water from 

 the opposite bank, rushes across the stream with wonder- 

 ful agility, as is seen by the high ripple he makes on the 

 surface caused by his rapid motion at the bottom ; but 

 in general they act by stealth, sinking underneath as 

 soon as they see man. They seldom leave the water 

 to catch prey, but often come out by day to enjoy the 

 pleasure of basking in the sun. In walking along the 

 bank of the Zouga once, a small one, about three feet 

 long, made a dash at my feet, and caused me to rush 

 quickly in another direction ; but this is unusual, for 

 I never heard of a similar case. A wounded leche, chased 

 into any of the lagoons in the Barotse valley, or a man 

 or dog going in for the purpose of bringing out a dead 

 one, is almost sure to be seized, though the alligators 

 may not appear on the surface. When employed in 

 looking for food they keep out of sight ; they fish chiefly 

 by night. When eating, they make a loud champing 

 noise, which when once heard is never forgotten. 



The young, which had come out of the nests where we 

 spent the night, did not appear wary ; they were about 

 ten inches long, with yellow eyes, and pupil merely a 

 perpendicular slit. They were all marked with trans- 

 verse stripes of pale green and brown, half an inch broad. 

 When speared, they bit the weapon savagely, though 

 their teeth were but partially developed, uttering at the 

 same time a sharp bark, like that of a whelp when it first 

 begins to use its voice. I could not ascertain whether 

 the dam devours them, as reported, or whether the 

 ichneumon has the same reputation here as in Bgypt. 

 Probably the Barotse and Bayeiye would not look upon 

 it as a benefactor ; they prefer to eat the eggs themselves, 



