The Crocodile of the Nile. 517 
THE CEOCODILE OF THE NILE. 
( Crocodilus vulgaris . ) 
This animal is frequently thirty feet long. The female 
lays its eggs in the sand, where they are hatched by the 
heat of the sun ; and the mother is said to take no care 
of the young ones. The head of this species, as of all 
the true Crocodiles, is twice as long as it is broad ; the 
snout is pointed and unequal, and the eyes, which are 
small, are placed verj'- far asunder. The colour is a 
greenish bronze, speckled with brown, and of a yellow- 
ish green underneath : six rows of nearly equal-sized 
plates run along the back. This Crocodile is less fero- 
cious than some of the other kinds, and, when taken 
young, may be tamed, It is common in Senegal and 
other parts of Africa, as well as in the Nile. 
The method which the African adopts to kill this for- 
midable creature displays considerable ingenuity and 
courage. Having wrapped a thick cloth round his arm, 
and provided himself with a long knife, he proceeds to 
the known haunt, usually a reedy swamp or river. The 
