366 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



death from the bite of a Snake comes to be regarded as an 

 ordinary incident in human life. The province of Bengal holds 

 a bad pre-eminence in the bills of mortality from snake-bite, as 

 the death of 10,388 persons, which is nearly half the total for 

 the whole of India, is attributed to this cause. The figures are 



as follows : — 



Deaths. 



Madras 1,492 



Bombay 1,206 



Bengal 10,388 



N.W. Provinces and Oude - - 6,538 



Punjab 984 



Central Provinces 869 



Burraah 182 



Assam 254 



On the opposite side of the account, it is stated that 417,596 

 Snakes were destroyed, and that Es. 25,360 were paid by 

 Government as rewards for their destruction. But considerable 

 inconsistency prevails in different provinces, both as to the 

 diligence with which the Snakes are persecuted, and in the sums 

 paid as rewards in killing them. In Madras only 255 Snakes 

 were destroyed, and no rewards were paid. In Bombay they 

 killed 266,921 Snakes, and paid rewards amounting to Bs. 6527 

 for them. In Bengal 31,284 Snakes were destroyed, and rewards 

 of Bs. 3889 were paid. In the North-West Provinces and Oude 

 the slaughter of 26,636 Snakes cost Bs. 3299, and in the Punjab 

 85,715 Snakes were destroyed at a cost of Bs. 10,506. In Burmah 

 2097 Snakes were killed, but only Bs. 3 were paid as rewards. 



In Madras they lost 1492 lives from snake-bite; but they 

 killed only 255 Snakes, and paid no rewards ! In Bombay 1206 

 persons were bitten, and 266,921 Snakes were killed, and Bs.6727 

 were paid in rewards. Yet in 1886 the rate of mortality from 

 snake-bite was higher in Bombay than in Madras in 1885. In 

 the Punjab the deaths from snake-bite increased from 686 in 

 1885 to 928 in 1886 ; but they killed 47,000 Snakes in the former 

 year, and 85,000 in the latter year. 



It certainly becomes rather difficult to say whether it is best 

 to continue to give rewards for killing Snakes, or to revert to 

 Lord Canning's policy of masterly non-interference, leaving the 

 Snakes undisturbed in their natural haunts. It seems very 



