up, and returns afterward to assist the young out of the place of confinement and out of the egg.  She leads them to the edge of the water, and then leaves them to catch small fish for themselves.  Assistance to come forth seems necessary, for here, besides the tough membrane of the shell, they had four inches of earth upon them; but they do not require immediate aid for food, because they all retain a portion of yolk, equal to that of a hen’s egg, in a membrane in the abdomen, as a stock of nutriment, while only beginning independent existence by catching fish.  Fish is the principal food of both small and large, and they are much assisted in catching them by their broad, scaly tails.  Sometimes an alligator, viewing a man in the water from the opposite bank, rushes across the stream with wonderful agility, as is seen by the high ripple he makes on the surface caused by his rapid motion at the bottom; but in general they act by stealth, sinking underneath as soon as they see man.  They seldom leave the water to catch prey, but often come out by day to enjoy the pleasure of basking in the sun.  In walking along the bank of the Zouga once, a small one, about three feet long, made a dash at my feet, and caused me to rush quickly in another direction; but this is unusual, for I never heard of a similar case.  A wounded leche, chased into any of the lagoons in the Barotse valley, or a man or dog going in for the purpose of bringing out a dead one, is almost sure to be seized, though the alligators may not appear on the surface.  When employed in looking for food they keep out of sight; they fish chiefly by night.  When eating, they make a loud, champing noise, which when once heard is never forgotten.

The young, which had come out of the nests where we spent the night, did not appear wary; they were about ten inches long, with yellow eyes, and pupil merely a perpendicular slit.  They were all marked with transverse slips of pale green and brown, half an inch broad.  When speared, they bit the weapon savagely, though their teeth were but partially developed, uttering at the same time a sharp bark like that of a whelp when it first begins to use its voice.  I could not ascertain whether the dam devours them, as reported, or whether the ichneumon has the same reputation here as in Egypt.  Probably the Barotse and Bayeiye would not look upon it as a benefactor; they prefer to eat the eggs themselves, and be their own ichneumons.  The white of the egg does not coagulate, but the yolk does, and this is the only part eaten.

As the population increases, the alligators will decrease, for their nests will be oftener found; the principal check on their inordinate multiplication seems to be man.  They are more savage and commit more mischief in the Leeambye than in any other river.  After dancing long in the moonlight nights, young men run down to the water to wash off the dust and cool themselves before going to bed, and are thus often carried away.  One wonders they are not afraid;