Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-10-31
Something About the Crocodile.

May read this little rhyme
sung by a northern lover.
Something About the Crocodile.
As a songster the crocodile Is not to
be compared to the bulbul, but he can,
without any exertion, hold his own in
that respect with the bull. Like the
latter, he bellows, but unlike him, he
bellows at night, whereas the bull only
bellows during the day, except when
he is badly scared. With these ex-
ceptions, there is nothing in common
between the crocodile and either the
bulbul or the bull.
There is little in the animal king
dom that can look so dead and be SO
much alive as crocodile. The num-
Der Of unsuspecting persons who have
mistaken him for a log and have failed
to discover their mistake until it was
too late to be of any benefit to them
will never be known. In ancient times,
several years prior to the British oc-
cupation of Egypt, some of the people
of that country worshiped the croco-
die as a god, there being nothing else
like him. They fed him on dainties'
and logged him out with jewelry. In
other parts of Egypt, however, the
natives looked upon him as devil.
Having no firearms they did not fill
him with lead, but they managed to
immediate him successfully with such
weapons as were fashionable at the
time. The crocodile is not 50 numer-
Gus in the Nile as he was in the days
of the Rameses family in fact, he rath-
er shuns the river now below the Sec
ond Cataract on account of the annoy
ances inseparable from tourist traffic,
1t seems impossible for tourist to see
a crocodile without trying to plug him
with a revolver, and to a reptile that
is fond of quiet life this sort Of thing
is simply insuferable. He will not
molest a man unless he can take him
at a disadvantage, and so long as man
does not, unthinkingly, step on him
the crocodile will 90 his own way and
calmly await his opportunity. lie
feeds on fish, but for a course dinner
he would rather have humanity, black
preferred. His methods Of capturing
large game are plural as we'll as singu-
lar. Sometimes he will lie on river
bank, partly covered with sand or
mud, until an absent-minded native
wanders within reach. Having grab
bed his prey, he will waddle into the
water and there drown the struggler.
He will then drag his victim ashore
and bury him in sand or mud, and
wait for days before he gorges himself.
His favorite plan of providing food for
himself in the water is to depress his
head and tail and float in the current.
While performing this act he looks
like an old blackened log. Though he
is perfectly happy on land and spends
much of his time there, he can stay
under water long time and kill while
under water without suffering any IN
convenience. On this account 1t may
be assumed that his breathing appa-
ratus is not arranged like that OF a
man. 1t is not, for his nostrils open
into the pharynx instead of the mouth
and the aperture can be closed at Will
with a valve. The crocodile is lavish
" provided with valves and lids. He
has lids for his eyes and his ears and
bis nostrils. 1t is not necessary for
him to boast that he can sleep with
one eye open, because he can do So
Before he was so well known as he now
is, it was supposed that he was un-
furnished with a tongue. This was
simply due to reticence on his part
He did not, nor does he, even keep 1t
between his teeth. That would not
satisfy him, so he keeps it close to the
under side of his mouth. His teeth
are numerous and sharp and strong,
and are arranged in single row In
each jaw. There are several genera
tions of teeth enclosed within each
other, and as one takes its departure
another occupies its place. There are
three families of the reptile-the ga
vial. the true crocodile, and the ALL
gator. If, however, man, while en-
ioying quiet swim, were to meet a
> .Lo,o F,n;lias face