The Brabians of Mount Mazoven, which runs alongst the Red Sea, chiefly feed on a fish cal∣led Orobone, which is very terrible and much feared by other fish being nine or ten foot long, and of the breadth agreeable thereto, and it is covered with scales like a Crocodile.
A Crocodile is a vast creature, comming sometimes to be fifteen cubits long, and seeing it is a creature that doth not bring forth young, but eggs, it useth at the most to lay some sixtie eggs, no bigger then Goose eggs, rising to such such bigness from so small beginnings (for the hatched young one is proportionable to the egg) she is very long lived.
It hath so small and useless a tongue, that it may seem to have none at all. Wherefore seeing it lives both on land and water; as it lives on land it is to be taken for a tongue, but as it lives part of the life in the water, it hath no use of a tongue, and therefore is not to be reputed one. For fishes either wholly wane tongues, or else have them so impedite and bound, that they serve for little use. The Crocodile only of all other things moves the upper jaw, the lower remain∣ing unmovable: for her feet, they are neither good to take nor hold any thing; she hath eyes not unlike those of swine, long teeth standing forth of the mouth, most sharp claws, a scaly skin, so hard that no weapon can pierce it. Of the land-Crocodile (resembling this both land and water one) is made the medicine Crocodilea, most singular for sore eyes, being annointed with the juice of leeks, it is good against suffusions or dimness of the sight; it takes away freckles, pustles, and spots; the Gall annointed on the eyes helps Cataracts, but the blood clears the sight.
Thevet saith they live in the fountains of the river Nilus, or rather in a lake flowing from the same fountains, and that he saw some that were six paces long, and a yard cross the back, so that their very looks were formidable. They catch them thus; when as the water of Nilus falls, the Egyptians let down a line, having thereto fastned an iron hook of some three pound weight, made very large and strong; upon this hook they put a piece of the flesh of a Camel or some other beast; which when as he sees, he presently falls upon it, and devours it hook and all, wherewith when he finds himself to be cruelly pulled and pinched, it would delight you to see how he frets and leaps aloft; then they draw him thus hooked, by little and little to the shore, and fasten the rope surely to the next tree, lest he should fall upon them that are about him; then with prongs, and such things they so belabor his belly, whereas his skin is soft and thin, that at length they kill him, and uncaseing him, they make ready his flesh, and eat it for delicious food. John Lere∣us, in his history of Brasil, writes, that the Salvages of that country willingly feed upon Croco∣diles, and that he saw some who brought into their houses young ones, wherewith their children gathering about it, would play without receiving any harm thereby.
True (saith Pliny) is that common opinion, Whatsoever is brought forth in any part of Na∣ture, that also is in the Sea, and many other things over and above, that are in no other place. You may perceive that there are not only the resemblances of living creatures, but also of other things; if you look upon the sword, saw, cucumber, like in smell and color to that of the earth, that you may less wonder at the Sea-feather and grape, whose figures I have here given you out of Rondoletius.
The sea-feather is like those feathers of birds, which are worn in hats for ornament, after they are trimmed and drest for that purpose. The fishermen call them sea-pricks, for that one end of them resembleth the end of a mans yard, when the prepuce is drawn off it. As long as it is alive it swells, and becomes sometimes bigger and sometimes lesser; but dead, it becomes very flaccid and lank: it shines bright on the night like a star.
You may by this gather, that this which we here express, is the Grape whereof Pliny makes mention, because in the surface and upper part thereof it much resembles a fair bunch of Grapes; it is somewhat longish, like a mis-shapen club, and hangs upon a long stalk; the inner parts are nothing but confusion, sometimes distinguished with little glandules, like that we have here figu∣red alone by itself.
In the Sea near the Island Hispaniola in the West Indies, there may be seen many monstrous fishes, amonst which Thevet in his Cosmography thought this most rare and observ••ble, which in the vulgar language of the natives is termed Aloes. For it is just like a goos, with a long and strait neck, with the head ending sharp, or in a Cone, not much unlike a sugar-pear, it is no bigger than a goose, it wanteth scales, it hath four fins under the belly for swimming; when it is above wa∣ter you would say that it were a goos.