Morning journal and courier., 1893-07-12
Crocodile Birds.

From the London Saturday Review.l
 The current number of the Ibis contains an extremely interesting communication by MT. J. N. Cook on the subject of the old world story of the bird which is said to attend on the crocodile, and to enter its mouth for the purpose of either picking its teeth or removing the leeches from its mouth. The latter Is the older version, and was told by Herodotus as follows: "All other birds and beasts avoid him (the orocodile); but he is st peace with the tro- chilos because he received benefit from that bird. For when the crocodile gets out of the water on land and then opens its jaws, which it does commonly towards the west, the troehilos enters its mouth and swallows the leechss; the crocodile Is 30 we'll pleased with this service that 1t never hurts the trochilos." Numberless authors have repeated the story-whIch was smplified and oddly distorted by Pliny and the medievsl authors who followed him-but among modern ornitholo2ists, at all events, 1t has received but little ere dence, though 1t Is mentioned by many of them. Their position in the matter is we'll exemplified by Gould in his Birds of Asis, where, though in the background of his plate representing the Egyptian blower (PluviaDus Agyptius) he shows two of these birds entering the mouth of a croco- dile. and in his letter press he discusses the question whether this bird or the spur winged blower (Hoplopterus spinosus) is the trochilos of Herodotus, be tells us that he only inserted the figure of the crocodile to 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.
 MT. Cook has, however, thrown new light on the question, and has supplied us with direct evidence that a bird, which he identifies as the spur winged plover, does enter the crocodile's mouth. It appears that in the year 1876 he noticed some croc- odiles and several of the birds (which are called by all the natives of the Nile valley crocodile birds" on a very large ssndbsnk near Derr, the capital of Lower Nubia, and with his brother in law, the late MT. J. E. Hedges, determined to watch them. The following is his account, in a somewhat condensed form, of what hsppsned: "For this purpose, during the dark hours, we had O small pit dug on the western aide of the large ssndbsnk 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 crocodiles came out of the water on to the bank, and apparently were soon asleep. Several crocodile birds commenced Hitting over them, and through our field glasses we watched one bird and saw 1t de hberately go up to a crocodile, apparently asleep, which opened its jaws.
 "The bird hoppsd in, and the crocodile closed Its jaws. In what appeared to be s very short time, probably not more than c minute or two, the crocodile opened Its jaws, and we saw the crocodile bird go down to the waters edge. As the sand. bank was, should say, at least half mile across, and the birds back was turned 10. ward us, We could not see whether 1t vom- tied in the water or drank; but in the course of few seconds 1t returned to the crocodile, which opened Its mouth again and the bird again entered. The mouth waa closed. and in a short time was opened again for the bird to come out. and the same operation was repeated at the river l bank. We saw the same bird enter the | crocodile's mouth three times, and on three | occasions run to the water to either vomit or drink" Eventually MT. Cook shot tHo | of the birds, which, ss We have said, h, has since identified ss the spur-wiDget | blower. In conclusion he tells us that 'ht | never knew that the fact of the crocodile | bird entering the crocodile'a mouth was SC riously doubted" until a conversation | which he had recently with Dr. Sclstsr anS | Mir. Seebohm.