XVII 
THE CROCODILE 
219 
As in the case of whales, the size of crocodiles has 
been greatly exaggerated. In the rivers and lakes of 
East Africa, and in the Nile itself, a crocodile measuring 
fifteen feet, from the snout to the tip of the tail, is 
considered a big specimen. 
The senses of sight and hearing in these wary reptiles 
are remarkably acute. No one knows the age to which 
they live. Crocodiles lay eggs, sometimes to the num¬ 
ber of three score. The eggs are white, oval, and 
possess hard shells ; they are laid and well concealed in 
sand, out of reach of moisture, for this causes them to 
decay quickly. 
The Varanus lizard or monitor is fond of crocodile 
eggs and is an adept at finding them in the sand. This 
lizard attains a length of five feet and is common in 
the upper reaches of the Nile : it lives in the trees and 
in water, and generally plunges into the stream when 
disturbed. Varanus lives largely on fish and no doubt 
captures and eats small mammals and birds : it uses the 
long heavy tail as a whip, especially when driven into a 
corner. Most visitors to the Zoological Gardens, London, 
have seen the monitor critically examine an egg with its 
forked tongue, then take the egg into its mouth, 
crush it, and after swallowing the contents eject the 
shell. Monitors are very critical as to the quality of 
an egg. 
It was thought probable that the crocodiles in the 
Victoria Nyanza were carriers of trypanosomes. This 
suspicion proved to be groundless. The red capsules 
of the crocodile are elliptical, like those of birds, and are 
easily identified with the aid of a microscope : during 
the investigation of sleeping sickness this fact enabled 
the observers to determine from an examination of 
tsetse flies whether they had been feeding on crocodiles 
or not. 
The story, related by Herodotus, concerning the cro¬ 
codile and the bird Trochilus has always excited 
curiosity in the minds of ornithologists interested in the 
