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gixba, or an animal drinking, &c. &c. Sinking immediately,
it swims perhaps a hundred yards nearer,
and again appearing for an instant upon the surface,
it assures itself of the position of its prey
by a stealthy look; once more it sinks, and
reaches the exact spot above which the person or
animal may be. Seeing distinctly through the
water, it generally makes its fatal rush from beneath—
sometimes seizing with its jaws, and at
other times striking the object into the water with
its tail, after which it is seized and carried off.
The crocodile does not attempt to swallow a large
prey at once, but generally carries it away,' and
keeps it for a considerable time in its jaws in some
deep hole beneath a rock, or the root of a tree,
where it eats it at leisure. The tongue of the
crocodile is so unlike that of any other creature
that it can hardly be called by the same name;
no portion throughout the entire length is detached
from the flesh of the lower jaw — it is
more like a thickened membrane from the gullet
to about half way along the length of jaw.
“ October 24-—Having burnt off a large surface
of high grass, I discovered a quantity of gourds
and wild cucumbers—the latter are bright crimson,
covered with long fleshy prickles, with black horny
tips; these are eaten by the baboons, but not by
the Arabs. The gourds are only serviceable for
cups and ladles, manufactured from their shells.
“ I find a good pair of Highland shooting shoes of
R