The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-19
FOT Internal and EXternaI use.
CROCODILE OF CLASSIC DAYS.
One Ancient story, Thought to he
Fabulous, Finds Modern COnflrm-
From the London Globe.

From the London Globe
To say that the crocodile has seen his
best days is but feebly to express the ra-
pidity with which he is Iapsing into the
class of extinct animals. AS a feature of
modern Egypt he is perhaps rather a GU
riosity 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 sto-
rles are no longer told; in fact, II Is safer
to trust to the sea serpent, Nothing can
make the crocodile attractive, and even
the man with the camera Is shy of treat
ing him as a subject, whether for person.
al or artistic reasons Is not quite clear.
Possibly the crocodile resents being focus
ed as he formerly shrank from confronta-
ton with mirror-an ordeal which often
led to his dying of chagrin as was sup
posed, at the sight of his own ugllness.
Moreover, the experienced photographer
is wise in taking no risks" remembering
that the crocodile's tears are only a nat
ural solvent which the saurian applies to
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. as the writer supposed,
to rid the reptile of the Ieeches which In
tested his jaws. PlinY says nothing of
these pests, but considers the complais-
ance of the crocodile to be due to the sat
isfaction he felt in having his teeth picked
by the bird: He taketh so great delight
in this her scraping and securing of his
teeth and chaws." Both authors speak
of the bird as a wren; later naturalIsts de-
scrlbed 1t as being as large as thrush,
while 1t has been reserved for the present
generation of travellers to Identify this
useful friend of the crocodile as the spur
winged plover. OF the fact of the ALI
ance there Is not the least doubt. The OPP
Grafton has been frequently witnessed by
numerous independent observers, one or the
latest of whom considers that the bird
does actually perform the functions of
a toothpick, "a process which the crocodile
enjoys" With such corroboration the mar
rative of Herodotus, subject 20 quallfica-
tion as 1t must be, is at least to be taken
seriously, and no longer regarded as the
visionary idea of mere fabullst.
In the Egyptian hieroglyphics the croco.
ollie is represented by 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 illustrate ton
of the text of Herodotus, neither author
nor artist overstepping the modesty of ma
in which arose so many of the myths and
extravagances which we are ready to i'm
pute to the lack of practical knowledge
by the classic writer's. When Fuller lu-
cubrated so earnedly of the crocodile he
doubtless felt that he was correcting the
erroneous ideas of an earlier period and
the following example of his eruditlon
may serve to show how he set about the
task: Tine sovereign power of saffron
is plainly proved by the antipathy of the
crocodile thereto, for the crocodile's tears
are never true, save when he Is forced
where saffron groweth, whence he hath
the name of saffron fearer knowing him.
self to be all poison and it all antidote.''
AS to this legend of the crocodiie's tears,
IT can only be regarded as myth grated
s,ua some of the reptiles observed habits
Probably because tfey could offer less ra.
sistance to his attacks women and chill
dren were especially liable to them. the
office of the former water carriers
bringing them often to the Nile, and the
children naturally finding playground on
It's shores.
Herodotus gives an amusing account OF
the manner I'm which the Egyptian broth
ers of the angle used to fish for crocodile.
from which 1t would seem that they had
taken leaf out of the reptiles own book
of strategy. They baited the nook with
a large piece of hogs flesh, with when
they made real anglers east" into the
middle OF the river And they EMPLOYED
very special and aliurng form or
ground bait, consisting OF a vigorous
young porker, whom they anchored Irish
fashion, on the bank and melted by div
ers irritating arts into energetic souealino
Entranced with the melodious sound ,ho
crocodile was drawn in the direction from
which 1t came, and being unable to GET
at the pig put up with the baited hook In
stead