of the under jaw.. The crocodile lays eggs, wbich fails, it then goes close to the bank. There it the covers over with fand, and leaves to be hatch. waits in patient expectation of fome land animal .ed by the heat of the sun. They are met with in that comes to drink; the dog, the bull, the tithe Nile, Niger, and Ganges, besides most other ger, or man himself. Nothing is to be seen as large rivers in the S. parts of Asia, Africa, and the animal approaches, nor is its retreat discoverAmerica. Mr Hasselquist says, that the crocodile ed till too late. It seizes the victim with a fpring, swallows fones to asitt digestion, after the man- and goes at a bound much faster than such an unner of seed-eating birds, which commit to the wieldy animal could be supposed to do; then ha. ftomach the work of mastication as well as con- ving secured the creature both with teeth and coction, being destitute of the instruments adapt. claws, it drags it into the water, instantly finke ed to that purpose. The Egyptians say, that his with it to the bottom, and in this manner quickly excrements do not pass by the anus: ibis seems drowns it. Sometimes it happens that the creato be confirmed by the structure of the gut, which ture wounded by the crocodile makes its escape; is near the pylorus; for it cannot easily be con- in which case, the latter pursues with great cele . ceived that excrements should pass through such rity, and often takes it a second time. In these a narrow patlage, seemingly destined for the con- depredations, however, this terrible animal often veyance of the chyle only; but the structure of leizes on another as formidable as itself, and the parts, and the gut being so near the pylorus, meets with desperate resistance. Combats often seem to indicate that the excrements pass through occur between the crocodile and the tiger. All it into the ventricle, and are vomited up. The tigers are continually oppressed by a parching inhabitants above Cairo say they see this daily, and thirst, that makes them frequent great rivers, observe, that the crocodile is obliged to come on whither they descend to drink. On these occa fhore for this purpose. There is a folliculus, of lions they are feized by the crocodile, upon whrom the bign-1 of a hazel.nut, under the shoulders they inftantly turn with the greatest agility, and of the old crocodiles, which contains a thick mat. force their claws into his eyes, while he plunger ter smelling like mulk. The Egyptians are very with his fierce antagonist into the river. There anxious to get this when they kill a crocodile, it they continue to Aruggle, till at last the tiger is being a perfume much eftermed by the grandees. drowned. Notwithstanding all this, we are alsu. When the male copulates with the female, he red by Labat, that a negro, with no other weapon turns her with his fnout on her back. The Egyp- than a knife in his right hand, and his left arm tians use the fat against the rheumatism and fitt- wrapped round with a cow-hide, will venture ness of the tendons, efteeming it a powerful ex- boldly to attack this animal in its own element. ternal remedy. They say the gall is good for the As soon as he approaches the crocodile, he preeyes; they use it as a certain remedy for barren. sents his left arm, which the animal (wallows, ness in women, taking about 6 grains internally, but as it fticks in his thrpat, the negro bas time od outwardly they apply a pellus made of cot- to give it several ftabs below the chin, where it is ton and the gall of a crocodile. The eyes of the easily vulnerable ; and the water also getting in crocodile are the best aphrodisiacs of any known at the mouth, which is held involuntarily open, by the Arabs; who prefer them to all confections, the creature is soon bloated up as big as a tun, dea-fatyrii , hyacinthi, &c. and even to ambergris. and expires. The natives of Siam are particularly The crocodile is a very dangerous and terrible fond of the capture of crocodiles, which they take animal in some countries. It does a great deal of by throwing 3 or 4 frong nets across a river, at mischief among the people of Upper Egypt, of. proper distances; so that if the animal breaks ten devouring women who come to the riyer to through the first, it may be caught by one of the fetch water, and children playing on the shore or reft. When first taken, it employs the tail, Twimming in the river. In the ftomachi of one which is the grand infrument of ftrength, with dillected before Mr Barton the English consul, great force ; but after many unsuccessful Atruggles, they found the bones of the legs and arms of a the animal's strength is at last exhausted. Then woman, with the rings which they wear in Egypt the natives approach their prisoner in boats, and as ornaments. These animals are seen in lume pierce him in the most tender parts till he is weakplaces lying for hours, and even whole days, ened by loss of blood. When he has done ftirring, Itretched in the sun, and motionlets; fo that one they begin by tying up bis mouth, and with the not ufed to them might mistake them for trunks same cord tie his head to his tail, which last they of trees covered with rough and dry bark : but bend back like a bow. They also tie his feet to the the mistake would soon be fatal : for the seeming- top of his back. Were they to omit these prely torpid animal, at the near approach of any di. cautions, the crocodile would soon recover ving creature, inftantly darts upon it, and carries strength enough to do a great deal of mischief . it to the bottom. In the times of an inundation When thus brought into subjection, or when tathey fometines enter the cottages of the natives, ken young and tamed, this formidable animal is where they seize the first animal they meet with, used to entertain the great men of the east. It is There have been instances of their taking a man often managed like a horse, a curb is put into its out of a cance in the light of his companions, mouth, and the rider directs it as he ibipks prowithout their being able to aflift him. The cro- per. Though awkwardly formed, it proceeds codile, however, except when prefied with hun. with considerable swiftness; and is thought to ger, or with a yiew of depofiting its eggs, seldom move as fast as some of the most unwieldy of our leaves the water. Its uiual method is to foat own animals, the hog or the cow. Some indeed along upon the surface, and seize whatever animals assert, that no animal could escape it, lut for its come within its reach; but when this method fou pess in turning ; but this seems very impro bable, watch the female in filence, and permit her to lay her eggs without interruption. Then when the has retired, they flock all together upon the hidden treasure, tear up the eggs, and devour them in a much fhorter time than they were depofited Nor are they lefs diligent in attending the female while fhe is carrying her young to the water; for fuch as drop by the way are fure to receive no mercy. Such is the extraordinary ac count given us by late travellers of the propa gation of this animal; an account adopted by Linnæus and the most learned naturalifts. Yet from the general analogy of nature, the crocodile's devouring her own young, when the gets to the wa ter, feems doubtful. This may be a ftory raised from the general idea of this animal's rapacious cruelty; but it is probably not more divested of parental affection than other creatures; and we are the more led to think fo, from the peculiar formation of another fpecies. (See N° 12.) How long the crocodile lives we are not certainly in formed: if we may believe Ariftotle, it lives as long as a man. Among the various animals that were produced to fight in the amphitheatre at Rome, the combat of the crocodile was one. Marcus Scaurus produced them living in his unrivalled exhibitions. bable, as its back-bone is full of articulations, and feemingly as flexible as that of other large animals. All crocodiles breed near fresh waters, though they are fometimes found in the sea. They produce their young by eggs, and for this purpofe, the female chooses a place by the fide of a river, or fome fresh water lake, to depofit her brood in. She always pitches upon an extenfive fandy shore, where the may dig a hole without danger of detection from the ground being fresh turned up. The thore must be gentle and Thelving to the water, for the greater convenience of her going and returning; and a convenient place must be found hear the edge of the ftream, that the young may bave a fhorter way to go. When all thefe requi. fites are adjusted, the animal is feen cautiously tealing up on fhore to deposit her burden. The prefence of a man, a beast, or even a bird, is fufficient to deter her at that time; and if the perceives any creature looking on, the infallibly returns. If, however, nothing appears, fhe then goes to work, fcratching up the fand with her fore-paws, and making a hole pretty deep in the thore. There he depofits from 80 to 100 eggs, of the fize and form of a tennis-ball, covered with a tough white skin like parchment. She takes above an hour to perform this taf:; and then, covering up the place so artfully that it can fcarcely be perceived, the goes back to return again the next day. Upon her return, with the fame precaution as before, fhe lays about the fame number of eggs; and the day following alfo a like number, Thus having depofited her whole quantity, and having covered them clofe up in the fand, they are foon vivified by the heat of the fun; and at the end of 30 days the young ones begin to break open the fhell. At this time the female is instinctively taught that her young ones want relief; and he goes upon land to fcratch away the fand and fet them free. Her brood quick. ly avail themselves of their liberty; a part run unguided to the water; another part afcend the back of the female, and are carried thither in greater fafety. But the moment they arrive at the water, all natural connection is at an end; when the female has introduced her young to their natural element, both the and the male become their formidable enemies, and devour as many of them as they can. The whole brood fcatters into different parts at the bottom; by far the greatest number are deftroyed, and the reft find fafety in their agility or minutenefs. But it is not the parents alone that thus thin their numbers; the eggs of this animal are not only a delicious feaft to the favage, but are eagerly fought after by every beaft and bird of prey. The ICHNEUMON was erected into a deity among the ancients, for its fuccefs in deftroying the eggs of these monfters: at prefent the gallinazo, a fpecies of VUL TURE, is their most prevailing enemy, All along the banks of great rivers, for thousands of miles, the crocodile propagates in fuch numbers as would foon over-run the earth, were not the vulture appointed by Providence to abridge its fecundity. Thefe birds are ever found in great numbers where the crocodile is most numerous; and hiding themselves within the thick branches of the trees that fhade the banks of the river, they (12.) LACERTA GANGETICA, the open-bellied crocodile of the Ganges, is furnished with a falfe belly like the opollum, where the young creep out and in, as their dangers or neceffities require. This fpecies, thus furnished, cannot be faid to be an enemy to her own young, fince the thus gives them more than parental protection. It is probable also that this open-bellied crocodile is viviparous, and fofters her young, that are prematurely excluded, in this fecond womb, until they come to proper maturity. This fpecies was not described by Linnæus; but has been inferted in the Syftema Natura fince his death. Mr Edwards tells us, that 3 of them were fent from Bengal, about 1747, to the celebrated Dr MEAD. Two of them he preserved in his collection, and presented the 3d to the late ingenious Mrs Kennon. Since the decease of these worthy perfons, they became the property of Mr James Lemon of London, who gave Mr Edwards one of them to present to the Royal Society. The narrowness of the beak is the most extraordinary circumftance in this crocodile, which appears like the bill of the GOOSEANDER. It has fmall fharp teeth. In other refpects it has all the marks common to alligators or crocodiles. The beak was finely creased tranfverfely. The animal, appeared in the spirits, all over of a yellowish olive colour, the under fide lighter than the upper, the latter having fome dufky marks and fpots. This fpecies inhabits the banks of the Ganges; and it is ftrange that they fhould never have been defcribed before, as our India company have been fo long fettled there, and the animal is, at full growth, nearly, if not altogether, as large as the common crocodile. (13.) LACERTA GECKO has a cylindrical tail, concave ears, and a warty body. It is the Indian falamander of Bontius. "This animal is very frequent in Cairo (fays Haffelquift), both in the houfes and without them. Its poifon is very fin gular, as it exhales from the lobuli of the toes. The The animal seeks all places and things impregna- found, under stones and old logs, some very mi. ted with feq-salt, and, passing over them several nute lizards that had much, the appearance of times, leaves this very noxious poison behind. In this kind: they were perfectly formed, and had July 1750, I saw two women and a girl, in Cairo not the leaft vestiges of fins ; which circumstance at the point of death, from eating cheese new salted, joined to their being found in a dry place remote bought in the market, and on which this animal from water, seems to indicate, that they had de had dropt its poison. Once, at Cairo, I had an op. ver been inhabitants of that element, as many of portunity of observing bow acrid the exhalations our lizards are in their first state. At that period of the toes of this animal are, as it rad over the they have a fin above and below their tail ; that hand of a man who endeavoured to catch it; there on the upper part extends along the back as far immediately rose little pustules over all those parts as the head; but both drop off as soon as the ani. the animal had touched; these were red, inflamed, mal takes to the land, being then no longer of and smarted a little, greatly resembling those oc. any use. Mr Ellis has remarked certain pennated cagioned by the itinging of nettles. It emits an odd fins at the gills of one very common in most of found, especially in the night, from its throat, not our ftagnating waters, and which is frequently unlike that of a frog." observed to take a bait like a fish. (14.) LACERTA IGUANA, or guana, has the (19.) LACERTA SALAMANDRA, the salamander, top of the back and tail, and the gullet, strongly has a short cylindrical tail, 4 toes on the fore feet, ferrated, and is sometimes found 5 feet long. It and a naked porous body. This animal bas been has fmall teeth, and bites hard. It inbabits the said, even in the Philas. Trans . to live in the fire : rocks of the Babama islands, and lurks in cliffs but this is a mistake. It is found in the southern or bollow trees. It feeds entirely on vegetables ; countries of Europe. The following account of and the fat of the abdomen assumes the colour of this species is extracted from the Count de la Ce that which it has laft eaten. It is flow of motion, pede's Natural History of Serpents. Whilst the and has a most disgusting look; yet it is esteem- hardest bodies cannot refift the violence of fore, the ed a molt delicate and wholesome food, noxious world have endeavoured to make us believe that only to venereal patients, according to Linnæus. a small lizard can not only withstand the flames, It is not amphibious, yet on necesity will con- but even extinguish them. As agreeable fables tinue long under water; it swins by means of the readily gain belief, every one has been eager to tail, keeping its legs close to the body. Guanas adopt that of a small animal so highly privileged, are the support of the natives of the Bahama fo fuperior to the most powerful agent in nature, islands, who go in their loops from rock to rock and which could furnish so many objects of comin search of them. They are taken with dogs parison to poetry, so many pretty emblems to trained for the purpose ; and as soon as caught, love, and so many brilliant devices to valour. The their mouths are fewed up, to prevent them from ancients believed this property of the salamander; biting. Some are carried alive for sale to Caroli wishing that its origin might be as furprising as its na ; others falted and barrelled for home con power; and desirous of realizing the fi&tions of sumption. the poets, pretended that it owes its exiftence to (15.) LACERTA LATICAUDA, the broad-tailed the pureft of elements, which cannot consume it; lizard, bas a flattened lanceolate tail, somewhat and they called it the daugbter of fire, giving it {piny on the margin. It is about four inches and however a body of ice. The moderns have followa half in length. The head is disproportionably ed the ridiculous tales of the ancients ; and some large. The upper surface of the body is of a dui. have gone so far as to think that the most violent ky grey colour, and beset with small tubercles, fire could be extinguished by the land salamander, which in some parts sharpen to a point. The co. Quacks sold this small lizard, affirming, that lour of the under surface of the body is pale, or when thrown into the greatest conflagration, it almoft white. This and the next species are in- would check its progress. It was neceffary that habitants of New South Wales. philosophers should prove by facts what reason (16.) LACERTA MURICATA, the prickly lizard, might have demonstrated; but it was not till af. has a long rounded tail; its body, which is of a ter the light of fcience was diffused abroad, that brownish grey colour, is covered with Marp- the world gave over believing in this wonderful pointed scales, and the whole upper part marked property of the falamander. This lizard, which with transverse dysky bars. The scales are fur- is found in so many countries of the ancient nished with a prominent line on the upper surface, world, and even in very high latitudes, has been and toward the back part of the head almost run very little noticed, because it is feldom seen out into a sort of weak spines. of its hole, and because for a long time it has in(17.) LACERTA Nilotica has a long tail spired much terror. Even Aristotle speaks of it as with a triangular edge, and four lines of scales on of an animal with which he was scarcely acquaintthe back. It is met with in Egypt near the Nile. ed. One of the largest of this species, preferred The Egyptians fay that this lizard proceeds from in the late French king's cabinet, is 7 inches 3 the eggs of the crocodile laid in the land, but that lines in length, from the end of the muzzle to the the crocodile proceeds from those laid in the wa- root of the tail, which is 3 inches 8 lines. The ter. Mr Haflelquist detected the fallacy of this skin does not appear to be covered with scales, {ccount. but it is furnished with a number of excrescences (18.) LACERTA PALUSTRIS has a lanceolated like teats, containing many holes, several of tail, and toes on the fore feet ; and inhabits the which may be very plainly diftinguished by the stagnant waters of Europe. It has a flow and naked eye, and through which a kind of milk crawling pace. Mr Pennant' more tban once pozes, that generally spreads itself in fuch a man. Bez a her as to form a tranfparent coat of varnish above than fix months in water without food; care on- ciently ciently fine to be penetrated by them: he tried without fuccefs to force them into the flesh of a chicken ftripped of its feathers; he in vain preffed them against the fkin: they were difplaced, but they could not enter. He, however, made a falamander bite the thigh of a chicken, after he had taken off a small part of the skin. He made fala. manders newly caught bite alfo the tongue and lips of a dog, as well as the tongue of a turkey; but none of these animals received the leaft injury. M. de Maupertuis afterwards made a dog and a turkey fwallow falamanders whole, or cut into pieces; and yet neither of them appeared to be fenfible of the leaft uneafinefs.-Mr Laurenti fince made experiments with the fame view: he forced grey lizards to fwallow the milk proceeding from the falamander, and they died very fuddenly. The milk, therefore, of the falamander, taken internally, may hurt, and even be fatal to certain animals, especially thofe which are small; but it does not appear to be hurtful to large animals. It was long believed that the falamander was of one fex; and that each individual had the power of engendering its like, as several species of worms. This is not the moft abfurd fable which has been imagined with respect to the falamander; but if the miner in which they come into the world is not fo marvellous as has been written, it is remarkable in this, that it differs from that in which most other lizards are brought forth, as it is analogous to that in which the chalcide and the feps, as well as vipers and feveral kinds of ferpents, are produced. On this account the fala mander merits the attention of naturalifts much more than on account of the false and brilliant res putation it has fo long enjoyed. M. de Maupertuis having opened fome falamanders, found eggs in them, and at the fame time fome young perfectly formed; the eggs were divided into two long bunches like grapes, and the young were enclofed in two tranfparent bags; they were equally well formed as the old ones, and much more active. The falamander, therefore, brings forth young frorn an egg hatched within its belly, as the viper; and her fecundity is very great: naturalifts have long faid that he has 40 or 50 at once; and M. de Maupertuis found 42 young ones in the body of a female falamander, and 54 in another. The young falamanders are generally black, almoft without fpots; and this colour they preferve fometimes during their whole lives in certain countries, where they have been taken for a diftinct species. Mr Thunberg has given, in the Memoirs of the Academy of Sweden, the defcription of a lizard, which he calls the Japanese lizard, and which appears not to differ from our falamander but in the arrangement of its colours. This animal is almoft black, with feveral whitish and irregular fpots, both on the upper part of the body and below the paws; on the back there is a ftrip of dirty white, which becomes narrow to the point of the tail. This whitish ftripe is intersperfed with very small specks, which form the distinguishing characteristic of our land falamander. We, therefore, may confider this Japanese lizard, as a variety of our land falamander, modified a little by the climate of Japan. It is found in Niphon, the largest island of that empire, inhabiting mountains and rocky places. The Japanese confider it as a powerful ftimulant, and a very active remedy. In the neighbourhood of Jedo, a number of these Japanese falamanders may be seen dried, hanging from the ceiling of the fhops. 20. LACERTA SCINCUS has a cylindrical tail compreffed at the point, and blunt marginated toes. It is found in Arabia Petræa near the Red Sea, and in Upper Egypt near the Nile. It is much ufed by the inhabitants of the eaft as an aphrodisiac, but not by the Europeans. The flesh is given in powder, with fome ftimulating vehicle; broth made of the recent flesh is likewife ufed by the Arabs. It is brought from Upper Egypt and Arabia to Alexandria, whence it is carried to Venice and Marfeilles, and from thence to all the apothecaries fhops of Europe. 21. LACERTA SEPS and LACERTA CHALCIDES, being very different from all the other fpecies, and approaching in form to the ferpent tribe, figures of them are added in Plate CXCVI. 22. LACERTA SEX-LINEATA, the LION LIZARD, is about fix inches long; the body of a grey colour, marked lengthwife on each fide with 3 whith lines: the legs are long; and it has a very long tail, which curls up, and looks fierce, whence probably it has received its English name. It inhabits S. Carolina and the Greater Antilles. It is very inoffenfive, and remarkably agile; but is a prey to rapacious birds. 23. LACERTA STELLIO has a verticillated tail, and dentated scales. It is a native of Africa, and the warm parts of Afia. It frequents the ruinous walls of Natolia, Syria, and Palestine. The Arabs call it hardum. The Turks kill it, for they imagine, that, by declining the head, it mimics them while they fay their prayers. LACERTULI. See ANATOMY, f 181. LACFODERY, mountains of Ireland, on the E. fide of Kerry, where it joins Limeric and Cork. (1.) LACHAWANNOCK, a mountain in the NE. part of Pennsylvania. (2.) LACHAWANNOCK, a township of Pennsylvania, in Luzerne county. LACHE, a river of Upper Saxony. LACHELLO, a town of Italy, in the ci-devant lordship of Vercelli, lately in the K. of Sardinia's dominions, now annexed, with the Piedmontefe, &c. to France. LACHEN, a town of Switzerland, in the canton of Schweitz, S. of the lake of Zurich, and 8 miles W. of Utznach. Near it are fome mineral waters, crystals, and petrifactions. LACHES. n. f. [from lafcher, Fr. i. e. To flacker: or lafche, idle,] in the English law, fignifies flackness or negligence, as it appears, in Littleton, where laches of entry is a neglect of the heir to enter. It feems to be an old English word for LACK. LACHESIS, in mythology, (from xxxiv, to meas fure out by lot.] one of the Fates. She prefided over futurity, and was reprefented as fpinning the thread of life; or, according to others, holding the fpindle. She is painted covered with a garment variegated with ftars, and holding fpindles in her hand. LACHISH, in ancient geography, a city S. of the tribe of Judah. Eufebius and St Jerome tell us, that in their time there was a village called |