Evening star., 1944-11-10
This and That
By Charles Z. Trace,UeH.

A correspondent wants to know If
crocodiles really shed tears. Every one
has heard the expression crocodile
tears" They do, but not when they
eat!
Sir John Vaudeville was responsible
for this interesting bit of fiction.
Ancient authors had the same idea.
Vaudeville wrote: in this land, and
many other places OF Inde, are many
cocodrilles, that Is q manner OF long
serpents, and on nights they dwell on
water, and on dayes they dwell on
land and rocks, and they eat not in
winter.
These serpentS," he continued, "sley
men and eat them weeping, and they
have no tongue"
Another author of the old days de-
clared that If q crocodile meets a man
he kills him, but remains inconsolable
for the rest OF his life. 1t was mostly
thought that the weeping was a device
to attract victims
Crocodiles, and alligators, too, have
large lachrymal glands, however, and
no doubt do weep large tears, when and
If they weep. They do not do it, how
ever, out of hypocrisy.
Alligators are the American form of
these gigantic lizards. 1t is held by
scientists that they are more closely
related to the dinosaurs than to true
lizards as we know them today.
Hence 1t may be realized that when
We look at these odd things, we are
really gazing far back in time. The
Upper Crustaceous and the Upper
Jurassic roll into view, though we do
no more than stand by the bank of q
stream, or look into the alligator house
at the ZOO.
Almost any living thing may con-
gratulate itself on its brain power in
comparison with the huge crocodile,
which has one Of the smallest brains in
the world. 1t is said that hen would
be ashamed of the crocodiles brain.
Although the skull of the crocodile is
more than feet long, the minute
cranial cavity contains a brain no
larger than ones index finger.
Yet this is = mighty creature, and
one whose intelligence is enough for all
It's needs. As matter of fact, the
mother crocodile Is the brainy one OF
the pair, despite the old mans dental
equipment.
The mother crocodile shares in the
maternal instinct, and does good Job
OF being mother to her brood. She
digs hole q foot deep In soft white
sand. and lays about 20 eggs, then covers
them with sand. The hole is now half
empty, so what does she do? She laws
enough eggs to I'LL 1t, about 20 more,
then covers them again, with sand.
This leaves her with the duty Of
standing on guard, although by doing
20 she may lose her own life to man or
other prowler.
She sleeps just above the nest. pro-
tectfng and Matching the eggs. One
would think the sun hot enough for this:
perhaps 1t Is too hot, and she knows It.
and shades the spot. Her brains are
enough.
Anyway, she remains there for three
months faithful to her trust. Newly
Matched babies are longer than the
eggs. IN which they were curled up.
Each baby has m egg-tooth on its
snout. with which 1t breaks the tough
shell. This tooth" disappears two
weeks after the Matching.
The mother digs up the eggs 1T just
the right time. How does she know?
The young tell her. by making 4 piping
sound, which she hears.
Once out Of the shell, the young
crocodiles are led to the water by the
fond mother, still on guard.
All this time ths father Ii enjoying
hi hath In the river. Probably Nc eats
few babies when they frst sppear,
but htar seems 10 think better of this,
and takes pride Ii them, even though
ne does not have much d brain.