CHAPTER y. 



THE GANGETIC CROCODILE. 



A Jolly Life. —Native Tenderness for the Gavial. — Eating the Flesh. — The Jum- 

 na swarming with Gavials. — A " Mass Meeting." — Loss of an Enormous 

 Specimen. — Maximum size Attained. — The Gavial's Place in Nature. — 

 Habits and Characters of the Species. — General Observations on the Croco- 

 dilians. — Number of Eggs Deposited. — The Gavial not a Man-eater. — A 

 Ticklish Reptile. — Vocal Powers. 



As I look back upon it througli the rose-tinted vista of memory, 

 it really seems that I never in my life spent another month of such 

 unalloyed happiness as that upon the Jumna. I was steadily gath- 

 ering in a bountiful harvest of gavials, birds, and mammals ; I had 

 glorious sport with both rifle and fowHng-piece upon new and in- 

 teresting animals, and my sun-oundings were strange, romantic, 

 and agreeable. The weather was perfect. The nights were breezy 

 and cool, so that we needed to wrap up in our blankets as we slept 

 soundly under the awning of our boat, and there was not a single 

 mosquito, gnat, or sand-fly to annoy lis. The mornings were soft 

 and balmy, the days were cloudless and hot, and there was not a 

 drop of rain to fear. Although my boat was the clumsiest I ever 

 had, it was also the most comfortable and convenient. Under the 

 awning we had our boxes of provisions, preservatives, and tools, 

 ammunition, clothes, etc., all conveniently arranged, while along 

 one side hung the fire-arms, always loaded, and the indispensable 

 field-glass ready at hand. Under one side of the awning we piled 

 up gavial skeletons and skins, tied into compact bundles, and hung 

 up rough skeletons of birds. Down in the forward part of the 

 boat stood a large barrel of brine in which we soaked gavial skins, 

 and beside it was the little mud fire-place, where Carlo did a very 

 moderate amount of cooking for himself and me. He was fond 

 of shooting, and nearly every day would take one of my shot-guns 

 and wander ofif along the banks until he succeeded in shooting two 



