SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT OF THE SPECIES. 207 



it may untwist the rope. This happened to me on one occasion when I left one tied to a tree 

 wliose brandies were above the surface of the water of a hisooii. ITpon returning a few 

 days later I found the rope untwisted and the captive gone. Another method of killing the 

 Cocodrilo is used by the hunters of the Cienaga de Zapata. The animal is approached 

 stealthily by the hunter with a machete in his right hand and his liat in the other, the latter 

 is moved slightly and \ipon being noticed is attacked by the Cocodrilo. At the rush the 

 man deftly cuts through the beast's neck with his machete severing the spinal column which 

 disables him. Care must be taken not to get within reach of the blows of the Cocodrilo's 

 tail, as it is well known that mutilated reptiles live for a long time, weeks, and sometimes 

 for months. I had an example of this in my' room, where I had killed for mounting a Coco- 

 drilo brought from the Cienaga. I quickly skinned him leaving the head attached to the skin, 

 and wliile cleaning it I touched a nerve and the mandibles at once contracted, while I still 

 had both my aims in the beast's mouth; it became necessary to place a stick between the 

 jaws to keep them open. To catch them with a lasso, one must tie within the noose and to it, 

 a piece of meat that will float, as for instance a lung or a dead bird; the Cocodrilo upon seiz- 

 ing it will shake it, thus tightening the noose about its upper jaw. It is better that the noose 

 be made of untwisted strands of Majagua bark which will enter the better between the teeth 

 and not slip. 



"Still another way of taking him is when he comes ashore at an accustomed place; 

 a strong pole or light sapling is fii-mly placed upright in the ground, a noose is attached to 

 the upper end of it, it is then bent over, the noose being held close to the ground by a trigger, 

 which upon being stepped on by the Cocodrilo springs the trap lifting the victim into the air, 

 hanging him. 



"The fat of both species is used as a remedy for certain diseases of horses; while those 

 parts of the hide which are free from the larger scales are used in the manufacture of footwear; 

 the penis of the male after being crushed into powder is used in cm-ing lockjaw, and is sup- 

 posed to have antispasmodic virtues. The eye-teeth (canine-teeth) after being adorned 

 with gold or silver are used as punk-holders for the flint fire-lighting apparatus. To the 

 smaller teeth has been attributed virtue in facilitating teething, when they are made into a 

 necklace and hung about a child's neck. 



" I should also mention that these animals will live for a long time without food o>- drink 

 as I am personally siu-e of this from the following experience. I received at the beginning 

 of February a small Cocodrilo about two-thirds of a yard in length from my friend Poey; 

 the specimen was tied to a board with its mouth closed. I was afraid to place it in the same 

 pen where I had my large Cocodrilo lest the larger should do harm to the smaller creature, 

 so I left the animal as I received it, without food, drink, or bathing, till the middle of July 

 of the same year, when I finally was forced to place it in tlie yard with the large one, as I 

 had been unable to construct a separate pen. He seemed to be none the worse for his long 

 fast, showing no sign of weakness. In this case the larger animal did no harm to the new 

 arrival, but on another occasion a small Cocodrilo was swallowed, head first, by the larger 

 one. 



" The labourers of the Cienaga cut off the tail of the young Cocodrilos for food. I was 

 anxious to try this morsel, and did so with my friend Mr. Chas. Wright. It was cooked as 

 if it were lobster and was very savoury indeed; I should imagine that an adult would be unfit 

 to eat, as also the Caiman, which has a strong musky odor. Poey on page 106, vol. 2 of his 

 Repertorio, adds a note to my "Revista y Catalogo de los Reptiles Cubanos" sajang that 

 ha had tasted the tail "finding in it a strong disagreeable musky taste." Perhaps my friend 

 was given the tail of the Caiman instead of that of the Cocodrilo. 



"There is a general belief that a Cocodrilo cannot capture a person or an animal if the 



