Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1893-08-17


~ fnicfs the Mouth Of tho saurinn end
Removes Lcechea
The Ihis contains an extremely In
tcrcstinR communication by Mr. J. NJ.
Cook on the subject OF the old world
btofy Of the lird which Is said TO attend
on the crocodile, and 70 enter is mouth
for the purpose Of either picking its
teeth or removing the leeches from it's
mouth. The latter Is the older YER
sion, and was told by Herodotus, as fol-
lows IAN other birds and beasts
avoid him (the crocOdile); but he is at
peace with the trochiloa because he re-
ccivcs benefit from that bird. For
whom the crocodile gets out Of tho
water on land and then opens It's jaws,
which IL does commonly toward the
west, the trochilos enters its mouth
and swallows the leechcs; the crocodile
Is so well pleased with this service that
II never hurts the trochilos." Number
less authors have repeated the story
which was amplifed and oddly dis
tbrted by Pliny and the medieval au-
thors who followed him-but among
modern ornithologists, at all events, II
has received but little credence, though
IL Is mentioned by many Of them
Their position In the matter Is well ex-
empiificd by Gould in his "Dirds
of Asia" where, though in tho
background of his plate repre-
senting the Egyptian plover, he
shows two Of these birds entering the
mouth Of crocodile, and in his letter
press he discusses the question whether
this bird or the spur-winged plovcr Is
the trochilos of Ilerodotus. lie tells us
that he only inserted the figure of the
crocodile 20 illustrate an oft-told tale,
and that the point as to 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 bird,
which he identifies as the spur-winRed
plover, does enter the crocodile's
mouth. II appears that in the year
1870 he noticed some crocodiles and
several OF the birds (which are called
by all the natives of the Nile valley
crocodile-birds," on a very large sand
bank near Derr, the capital of Lower
the late Mr.. ]. Il. Hedges, determined
20 watch them. The following is his
account in n somewhat condensed
form, of what happened: "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 follow
ing morning we esconced ourselves in
the pit We watched patient
iy until about noon, when two large
crocodilcs came out of the water on TO
the bank, and apparently were soon
asleep. Several crocodile-birds COM
mcnccd fitting over them, and through
our field-glasses we watched one bird
and saw II deliberately go up to croc-
odile, apparently asleep, which opened
its jaws.
"The bird hopped in, and the croco-
dile closed its Jaws. In what appeared
to be very short time, probably not
more than minute or two, the croco-
die opened its jaws, and we saw the
crocodilc-bird go down TO the waters
edge. AS the sandbank was / should
say, ut least half n mile across, and the
birds back was turned towards us, we
could not see whether IL vomited in the
water or drank; but in the course OF
few seconds IL returned TO the croco-
dile, which opened its mouth again,
and the bird again entered. The mouth
was closed, and in n short time was
opened again for the bird to come out,
and the same operation was repeated
at the river bank. We saw the same
bird enter the crocodile's mouth three
times, and on three occasions run 10
the water 10 either vom II or drink"
Eventually Mr. Cook shot two of the
birds which. us we have said, he has
since identified as the spur-winged
plover. In conclusion, he tells us that
''he never knew that the fact of the
crocodile-bird entering the crocodile's
mouth was seriously doubted" Sntil
conversation which he ha drecently
with DIR. Selater and Mr.. Seebohm =
London Saturday Review.