CHAP. XIII 
THE CROCODILE 
25 
which, although included in the name, exhibits 
marked variations from all others; this is known 
as the gavial. The long beak-shaped jaws, with 
a lump upon the extremity of the nose, distinguish 
this creature from all other varieties. The gavial 
grows to a great length, sometimes attaining 20 
feet and upwards, but it is deficient in bulk, and is 
by no means so formidable as other varieties of 
the species. This creature lives upon fish, and 
it seldom attacks either men or animals. The head 
is far longer in proportion than the ordinary 
crocodile’s, and the gavial remains distinct, per se, 
as no instance has been known of a cross, or 
intermediate variety. In other respects the habits 
are the same; the female lays her eggs in a 
sandbank near the river, to the number of fifty 
or sixty, and when they are hatched by the heat 
of the sand, the young ones immediately take to 
the water. 
Few persons have the opportunity of witnessing 
the rapid dash of a crocodile when it rushes towards 
its prey, but when it is considered that fish constitute 
the ordinary food, it may readily be imagined that 
the maximum speed of the reptile must be sufficient 
to overtake the swiftest swimmer. 
The crocodile of the Nile is the same as those 
of Ceylon and India: in the latter Empire it is 
generally distinguished as the “mugger,” but it is 
inferior in size to those of Ceylon and Africa, with 
a few exceptions. 
The teeth of this species are specially arranged 
