The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-08-01
TINE oBocoDJnK,s rooTaPIcK.
Bird Which Does Not Fear TO Enter
His Mouth.

| his MOUTH.
The current number of the Ibis con-
tains an extremely Interesting commune
cation by Mr.. J. NJ. Cook on the subject
Of the Old World story Of the bird which
Is said 10 attend on a crocodile and to
enter its mouth for the purpose Of either
/ picking it's teeth or removing the leeches
| from its mouth The latter is the older
version, and was told by Heroditus as
! follows
"Al other birds and beasts avoid him
dhe crocodile); but he is at peace with
| the trochilos, because he receives
benefit from that bird For when the
| crocodile gets out of the water on land
and then opens its jaws, which 1t does
/ commonly toward the west, the tro-
| chilos enters its mouth and swallows
the leeches; the crocodile is so well
pleased with this service that 1t never
| hurts the trochilos"
Numberless authors have repeated the
story-which was amplifed and oddly
distorted by Pliny and the medieval au-
thors who followed him-but among
modern ornithologists. at all events, it
has received but little credence though
1t is mentioned by many of them. Their
position IN the matter is wen exempi-
fed by Could In his Birds OF Asia"
where, though in the background OF his
plate representing the Egyptian plover
(Pluvlanus Aegyptius) he shows two Of
these birds entering the mouth Of
crocodile, and in his letterpress he dis
cusses the question whether this bird or
the spur winged plover CHepiopterus
spinosus) is the trochilos Of Herodotus,
he tells us that he only inserted the
figure Of the crocodile to Illustrate an Oft
III and that the Upipf a n which
bird was intended is Of little moment,
since in all probability the story is not
founded on truth.
Mr.. Cook has, however. thrown new
light on the question. and has supplied
us with direct evidence that Il bird,
which he identifies as the spur-winged
plOver, does enter the crocodile's mouth.
1t appears that in the year 1876 he noticed
some crocodiles and several Of the birds
which are called by all the natives Of
the Nile Valley crocodile birds" on
very large sandbank near Derr, the capt.
tai Of Lower Nubia. and with his broth
er-ln-law. the late Mr. S. D. Hedges. de-
termined 20 watch them.
The following is his account IN a some
what condensed form, of what hap
pened:
For this purpose, during the dark
hours. we had a small pit dug on the
western side Of the large sandbank In
question, and about the peep Of day the
following morning we enscOnced ourselves
in the pit. We watched patiently
until about noon. when two large croco-
dies came out Of the water on 10 the
bank. and apparently were soon asleep.
Several crocodile birds commenced fit
ting over them. and through our field
glasses we watched one bird and saw
il deliberately so UP to a crocodile, ap-
parently asleep. which opened its jaws.
1.-THE bird hoped In, and the crocodile
closed its Jaws. In what appeared to be
a very short time. probably not more
than n minute or two, the crocodile
onened it's Jaws, and we saw the crocO-
due-hird go down TO the waters edge.
AS the sandbank was, / should say, at
least half n mile across. and the birds
back was turned toward us, we could not
see whether It vomited in the water or
drank: but In the course Of a few sec
onds it returned 10 the crocodile. which
opened It's mouth again, and the bird
again entered. The mouth was closed.
and in a short time was opened again
for the bird TO come out. and the same
operation was repeated 1T the river
bank.
1--WE saw the same bird enter the croco-
dies mouth three times, and on three
occasions run 20 the water to either
vomit or drink"
Eventually Mr.. Cook shot two Of the
birds. which. as we have said. he has
since identified as the spur-winged plover
In conclusion he tells us that che never
knew that the fact Of the crocodile-bird
entering the crocodiie's month was Sc
riously doubted" until a conversation
which he had recently with DR. Sclater
and Mr.. Standardization Saturday Re
view.