The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-12-22

Selling its prey, the crocodile, If
there Is any struggle, browns it. and
can manage TO DO so with It's jaws
stretched out grasping its prey, for
it has special structuarl arrange
ment by which the water IS prevent
cd from rushing dOwnits own throat
and producing sufocation. First of
al. before noticing this, it must be
stated that. unlike the ChelOnian
reptiles, the crocodile can breathe
with the mouth open, and the arr
rushes into their lungs when their
movable ribs expand; for although
the skin IS tough and armor-platcd
it is not supported by q bony eNpan-
sion which restricts the movements
of the ribs. They have a more OF
less rudimcntary, but still very use
tul. diaphragm. The nostTils OF the
/ crocodile. situated near the end of
/ the snout, are capable of being clos
ed at the viii OF the arimal. aad
they are connected in thenout with
. o passage, which is limited below.
not as in the mammalia by palate
/ bones alone, but also by pterycoids.
and which open far back in tie
throat. The roof Of the mouth has
q membrane on it that ends back
ward IN a fold which. taking away
the Uvula, resembles that oi % man
in position. Tho upper frli rests ON
the back of the t.l1uc when the
mouth is closed and the air passes
above and behind it into the throat
before reaching the lungs. The
tongue IS q large. flabbv structure.
incapable of protrusiOn, and has q
hvoid bone at its broad hinder part
in the throat and on it and the
tongue Is q lower flap of membrane
reaching across the throat, and be-
ing parallel at its free edge with the
upper fold.
When the crocodile drags q styug-
Cling animal into the water I'm its
jaw-grip it shuts It's nostrils. sinks
down and closes the back Of It's
throat by muscular action, which
brings the upper and lower mem
branc folds together No water can
then pass into the throat. After q
while the crocodile Just raises the
tip of Its snout above water, opens
the valves of It's nOstrils and takes
in air, which passes along the pas
sage above the palate, behind the
folds Of skin into the throat and
thence into the lungs. Ii tears it's
prey, if soft; should it not be able
TO hold it. it hides it away until de-
sOttens the Tissues and
permits them 70 be swallowed. The
.ood passes along u narrow, long
gullet and ocsophagus to "a simple
5lObU.ar stomach, the mucous mem
Jrdnc of the passage being folded
and villous. but thato of the stomach
IS very thin. The opening in the
stomach for the intestine is close To-
hat for the oesophagus, and there is
4 small pyloric Guide sac separated
)fi from the main cavity, through
which food must pass into the in-
cstiGe
The stomach has the mucous
membrane thin. and it Is folded and
1laced IN serpentine ridges the eel
ular coat outside it Is thick and the
more external musculartunic, made
IF tioers radiating from the centre Co.
circumference, issuing from q kind
'f disc Of membrane Is very strong
This stomach is not without It's re-
embianco to the gizzard Of q heron
Inc food gets crushed and digC-.e5
II part there and passes into amucl-
0lIcd small intestine, with "a pccui
ar e.audular layer and then INTO %
lr-e cut with internal projections
u rs u ambr3Hc