The San Francisco call., 1899-12-25
THE CROCODILE OF HISTORY
His Live Toothpick, His Tears and
His Way Of Getting Caught
in the Mile

To say that the crocodile has seen his
best days is but feebly TO express the ra-
pidity with which he is lapsing 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 10 hope for the
chance OF being introduced 10 one. CrO-
codile stories are no longer told. I'm fact.
II is safer To trust TO the sea serpent
Nothing can make the crocodile attrac-
tive, and even the man with the camera
Is shy of treating him as a subject
whether for personal or artistic reasons
is not quite clear. Possibly the crocodile
resentS being focused. as he formerly
shrank from conformation with a mirror
an ordeal which often led 10 his dying
OF his own ugliness. Moreover. the expe-
rienced photographer Is wise in taking
no risks, remembering that the cr1co-
dies tears are only a natural solvent
which the saurian applies 10 the tougher
form OF animal food.
And this is where the legend OF the
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 en-
ter his mouth in order. as the writer
supposed, 10 rid the reptile of the leeches
which infested his Jaws. Pliny says
nothing OF these pests, but considers the
complaisance of the crocodile TO be due
TO the satisfaction 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 jaws" Both
authors speak of the bird as a wren:
later naturalists described IL as being as
large as a thrush, while IL has been re-
served for the present generation OF traV-
elers 10 identify this useful friend OF the
crocodile as the spur winged plOver OF
the fact of the alliance there is not the
least doubt. The operation has been fire.
quently witnessed by numerous independ-
ent observers. one Of the latest of whom
considers that the bird does actually per-
form the functions OF toothpiCk, "a pro-
cess which the crocodile enjoys" With
such cOrrobOration the narration OF He
rOdotus, subject TO qualification. as IL
must be, is at least TO be taken seriously.
and no longer regarded as the visionary
idea of a mere fabulist.
In the Egyptian hieroglyphics the crocO-
die is represented by a single wavy line.
so perfectly suggestive of the contour OF
the animal that Ii Is quite impossible 10
escape from its meaning. IL might stand
as an excellent contemporary Illustration
Of the text of HerOdOtus, neither author
nor artist overstepping the mOdesty OF
nature. This was reserved for later
times. in which arose so many OF the
myths and eXtravagances which we are
ready 10 impute 10 the lack Of practical
Fuller lucubrated so learnedly of the crOc-
cdile he doubtless felt that he was cor
recting the erroneous idea OF an earlier
period. and the following example OF his
erpdition may serve 10 show how he set
about the task: 1.-The sovereign power OF
saffron is plainly proved by the antipathy
of the crocodile thereto. for the croco-
dies tears are never true. save when he
is forced where saffron groweth: whence
he hath the name Of saffron fearer. know
ing himself to be all poison and il all anti
dote." AS TO legend OF the crocodile's
tears. IL can only be regarded as a myth
grated upon some OF the reptiles OBJ
served habits. Probably because they
could offer less resistance to his attacks
women and children were especially la
BILE 10 them. the office of the former as
water carriers bringing them often to the
Nile and the children naturally 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 croco-
die. from which II would seem that they
had taken leaf out Of the reptiles own
book of strategy. They baited the hook
with large piece OF hogs flesh. with
which they made a real anglers cast"
into the middle Of the river. And they