704 



an island opposite the port. I arrived at the 

 moment when a great number of the inhabitants 

 of Angostura had witnessed this melancholy 

 spectacle. 



As the crocodile, on account of the structure 

 of it's larynx, of the hyoid bone, and of the folds 

 of it's tongue, can seize, though not swallow, it's 

 prey under water ; a man seldom disappears, 

 without the animal being perceived some hours 

 after, near the spot where the misfortune has 

 happened, devouring it's prey on a neighbouring 

 beach. The number of individuals, who perish 

 annually the victims of their own imprudence, 

 and of the ferocity of these reptiles, is much 

 greater, than it is believed to be in Europe. It 

 is particularly so in villages, where the neigh- 

 bouring grounds are often inundated. The same 

 crocodiles remain long in the same places. They 

 become from year to year more daring, espe- 

 cially, as the Indians assert, if they have once 

 tasted of human flesh. These animals are so 

 wary, that they are killed with difficulty. A 

 ball does not pierce their skin ; and the shot is 

 only mortal, when directed at the throat, or be- 

 neath the shoulder. The Indians, who know 

 little of the use of fire-arms, attack the crocodile 

 with lances, after it is caught with large pointed 

 iron hooks, baited with pieces of meat, and fast- 

 ened by a chain to the trunk of a tree. They do 

 not approach the animal till it has struggled a 



