The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-07
THE CLASSICAL CROCODILE.
Modern Confirmation of the Ancient
TOOthpicIS story.
From de London G!ohe.


From the London Globe.
To say that the crocodile has seen his
best days is but feebly TO express the
rapidly with which he is lapsing into the
class of extinct animals. AS a feature of
modern Egypt he is perhaps rather Curl
osity than plague; and the traveller has
to get far beyond the regions of the Delta
before he can begin to hope for the chance
of being introduced to one Crocodile
stories are no longer tod; in fact it is
safer to trust to the sea serpent. Nothing
can make the crocodile attractive, and
even the man with the camera is shy Of
treating him as a subject. whether for per-
sonal or artistic reasons is not quite clear.
Possibly the crocodile resents being To-
cussed as he formerly shrank from con
frontation with a mirror-an ordeal which
often led to his dying of chagrin, as was
supposed, at the sight of his own ugliness.
Moreover, the experienced photographer is
wise in taking no risks" remembering
that the crocodiles tears are only a nat
ural solvent which the saurian applies 10
the tougher forms of animal food.
And this is where the legend of the
toothpick properly comes in. HerodotuS
noticed the fact, but seems to have been
misled as to the motive. He discovered
that the crocodile made friends with a
particular bird which he allowed to enter
his mouth in order. the writer supposed,
to rid the reptile of the leeches which 10
Tested his jaws. Pliny says nothing of
these pests, but considers the complaisance
of the crocodile to be due to the salts
faction he felt in having his teeth picked
by the bird: HE taketh so great delight
in this her scraping and souring of his
teeth and jaws" Both authors speak of
the bird as a wren; later naturaists de-
scribed it as being as large as a thrush;
while it has been reserved for the present
generation of travellers to identify this use
full friend of the crocodile as the spur
winged plover OF the fact of the ALI
ance there is not the least doubt. The
operation has been frequently witnessed
by numerous Independent observers, one
of the latest of whom considers that the
bird does actually perform the functions
of a toothpick, "a process which the croco-
die enjoys" With such confederation
the narration of Herodotus, subject to
qualifications as it must be- is at least to
be taken seriously, and no longer regarded
as the visionary idea of a mere fabulist.
In the Egyption hieroglyphics the croco-
ollie is represented by a single wavy line,
so perfectly suggestive of the contour of
the animal that it is quite impossible to
escape from its meaning. II might stand
as an excellent contemporary illustration
of the text of Herodotus, neither author
nor artist overstepping the modesty of ma
ture. This was reserved for later times,
in which arose so many of the myths and
extravagauces which we are ready to i'm
pute to the lack OF practical knowledge by
the classic writers When Fuller lucubrat-
ed so learnedly of the crocodile ne doubt
less felt that he was correcting the erro-
neous ideas of an earlier perior, and the
following example of his erudition may
serve to show how he set about the task:
''The sovereign power of saffron is plainly
proved by the antipathy of the crocodile
thereto; for the crocodile tears are never
true, save when he isS forced where SAT-
from groweth; whence he hath the name of
saffron-fearer, knowing himself to be all
poison and 1t all antidote." As to his
legend of the crocodile's tears 1t can only
be regarded as a myth grated upon some
of the reptiles observed habits Prob
ably because they could offer less resist
ance 10 his attacks women and children
were especially liable to them. the Office Of
the former as water carriers bringing them
often to the Nile, and the children natur-
ally finding a playground on its shores
Herodotus gives an amusing account Of
the manner in which the Egyptian broth
ers Of the angle used to fish for crocodile.
from which it would seem that they had
taken a leaf out Of the reptile own book
of rategy They baited the hook with
a large piece of hogs flesh, with which
they made a real anglers cast" into the
middle OF the river. And they employed
a very special and allurlng form Of ground
bait consisting Of a vigorous young pork
er whom they anchored Irish fashion, on
the bank and melted by divers irritating
arts into energetic squealing. Entranced
with the melodious sound. the crocodile
was drawn in the direction from which Il
came. and being unable 10 gct at the pig,
put up with the baited nook instead