THE WILD ANIMALS OF BRITISH INDIA. 365 



The number of cattle killed by wild beasts in 1886 was 

 55,023. They were destroyed as follows : — 



By Tigers - 23,769 



„ Leopards 22,275 



„ Bears 758 



„ Wolves 4,265 



„ Hyaenas 1,:312 



,, Other animals ----- 2,644 



As regards poisonous Snakes, it was hardly to be expected 

 that among the Hindoos any systematic action should have been 

 taken for their destruction. To the Hindoo the Snake is the 

 representative of a deity. A native finding a Cobra in his house 

 would be more disposed to propitiate it with a bowl of milk than 

 to strike it with a stick. But the English Government of India 

 has taken a different view of its duties as regards venomous 

 Snakes. The deaths attributed to the bite of a Snake were so 

 numerous that about thirty years ago, when Sir Frederick 

 Halliday was Lieut. -Governor of Bengal, he first authorized the 

 grant of a small reward for the dead body of every venomous 

 Snake that was produced before the magistrate of a district. In 

 some districts the proffered reward had but little effect ; in others 

 the pecuniary inducement was so tempting to the poorer classes 

 that almost the whole community took to snake-hunting. They 

 brought in the dead Snakes by thousands, so that the magistrate 

 of one district complained that he could not carry on his ordinary 

 duty on account of the stench from the putrid bodies. Finally, a 

 financial difficulty arose, as the demands for the rewards were 

 found to have exceeded the small sum which had been tentatively 

 provided in the annual Budget estimates. So Lord Canning and 

 his financial advisers decided that, having regard to the empty 

 coffers of the public Treasury, it would be expedient to allow the 

 Snakes to remain undisturbed in their natural haunts. 



When the financial state of the country improved, the 

 Supreme Government permitted some of the local administrators 

 to resume the practice of offering rewards for killing venomous 

 Snakes. The number of persons killed by Snakes in India is 

 appalling. The returns for 1886 show that 22,134 human beings 

 perished from snake-bite. On the other hand, the number of 

 cattle killed by Snakes is returned at 2514. The serpent is 

 therefore specially the mortal enemy of man in India; and 



