Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-01
THE EGYPTIAN CROCODILE
ITS COMING AND WONDERFUL
NoISELEssNEss.
Number Of the Eggs Laid by the
Reptile-Their Size-Monster
Swims Silently.
From the London Times.

From the London Times.
One of the reasons given by old writer's
for the crocodile being worshiped in
Egypt was the somewhat cryptic one that
1t laid threescore eggs and lived for three
score years: but from twenty to thirty
is the common number of eggs found In
a Clutch In the reptiles easy code OF
ethics, however, its parental responsible
ties end with the act of oviposition, for
having covered the eggs with a layer of
sand it leaves the sun to do the rest
(whence doubtless Shakespeares your
mud and the operation Of your sun, ,, and
leaves II also to the ichneumon to do I,s
worst. In some places 1t seems that
water tortoises. too, eat crocodile eggs,
but the ichneumon is the real desolator of
crocodile homes. scratching up the nests
and eating or breaking the entire sit
ting at a meal Crocodies' eggs, how
ever. are absurdly small mother twenty
feet long being content with an egg no
larger than that OF a goose. and the new
ly Matched young, hardly more formidable.
than a common newt, are preyed upon by
birds. which a little later the rapidly
growing crocodile would like nothing bet
ter than to get within it's reach. as well
as doubtless by many other things, in
Guiding old crocodiles themselves.
The real horror Of the members OF the
crocodile tribe lies in their usual noise
lessness. They swim with great silence.
water" says NJ. Du Chaillu. and the ter
ror of the stealth of their approach is
well conveyed In Mr.. Rudyard kiplibg's
Ripple Song"
.. Mat alb: . Wait the ripple saith;
The first sight Of an alligator or croco-
die. however large. summing itself on
mudbank and pretending to be a strand
ed log is usually disappointing and il 1t
is lying with its mouth open, as in the
sunshine they all love to do Wherefore.
seeing them remaining SO immovably in
what looks like so strained an attitude.
many visitors to the gardens so away
declaring that the crocodiles are stuffed),
II becomes almost absurd. But when you
have come upon one Unexpectedly with
it's head and foreQuarters out OF the wa
ter, and have seen it slide noiseiessly
back until it disappears, and then even.
while you still watch the place where II
not movement having so
much as made the surface of the water
quake, the hideous thing suddenly. still in
silence, thrusts itself out upon
the bank many yards await may be
further of or nearer to ycu-to lie
mere snag at the waters edge. waiting
for whatever may come within its reach.
whether you or another. the dreadfulness
Of the thing IS very chilling.
SapIuIiuS 4IS 0udTIy.
Sir Samuel Baker tells of the cunning
OF crocodiles. which advance at an ami
NAL without any concealment. and then,
as If in disgust at their failure. turn and
swim away, still in sight. Only at last T.
sink below the surface, and returning
-,,thout a ripple to betray them rise I'M
below the quarry. which mas
hv this time returned to drink in fanciei
security. BY this trick he saw them
again and again catch birds which setIie1
on branches overhanging the water. Inc
chief food OF most members OF the lam
lily, and probably the entire food OF some
Is Ash: but now that We know that fui.-
grown rhinoceros can be pulled into the
water and killed by a crocodile We may
believe that few living things do not at
one time or another fail victims to them
Horses oxen, buffaloes, boars. mules
and camels' is a list which one writer |
xiyes of animals which are known TO
have been eaten by crocodfles In Egypt. |
In South America jaguars and tapirs |
have been seen being seized. pulled into |
deep water. and drowned; while as for