250 CROCODILES 



of the deep seas, shoots the beams ahead across the 

 swamps. Soon he sees round the fringe of the lake 

 numbers of pairs of twinkling lights alligators' eyes 

 reflecting the beams of his lantern. Mr. A. C. Harms- 

 worth, who describes this sport in ' The Encyclopaedia 

 of Sport,' dwells with much enthusiasm on these scenes 

 by night on the Florida lakes. The largest alligators 

 are known by the width between the shining orbs, which 

 are all that is visible of their bodies. When shot, they 

 are at once gaffed, and the skins are kept by the shooters 

 and sent to be tanned for further use. They are then 

 a far more durable and more useful trophy than most skins 

 and hides of big game, for there are few rooms in which 

 chairs and other furniture covered with soft-tanned 

 crocodile skin are not ornamental. On the Nile croco- 

 diles are not found below the second cataract ; but Sir 

 Samuel Baker constantly lost men, when in command of 

 the Khedival troops on their way to Gondokoro, from 

 the attacks of these creatures. They not only dragged 

 their victims from the sterns of the boats, but came up 

 into the shallows in the evening, like pike, and caught 

 his soldiers when bathing and fetching water, even in 

 the docks where his steamers lay. Neither on the Nile 

 nor in India has the trade in c crocodile skin ' become 

 a popular industry. When the supply fails in Florida, 

 we may hope that these pests of tropical rivers will be 

 thinned off. They have survived too long already. 



