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Dec. 28, 1832] 
if it save thousands of lives of men and valuable animals? 
There can be little doubt that wherever such a system has 
been even partially carried out, it has been effective ; it 
needs but combined effort to make universal, that which 
hitherto would appear to have been but partial success. 
From the tenor of the Government resolution referred 
to, it seems as though an organised scheme for the de- 
struction of venomous snakes, as well as dangerous wild 
animals, is now likely to be generally adopted in India, 
and should it be so, there is good ground for hope that 
the great mortality will decrease—to quote from a former 
paper on this subject, I would repeat : “ Rewards should 
be offered freely for venomous snakes only. This, if 
steadily carried out under some responsible official, would 
soon diminish snakes and deaths from snake-bite ; and I 
earnestly protest against the opinion expressed by some 
Indian authorities, that such rewards are useless—useless 
they may have been, and will continue to be, if distributed 
without discretion for snakes not poisonous. If this 
method of dealing with the matter—and who can deny its 
importance—be adopted (but it must be done willingly, 
and not with the foregone conclusion that it will fail), I 
am certain that, as part of a comprehensive scheme for 
the destruction of noxious animals generally, it will 
succeed.” 
The following is the purport of the resolution of Novem- 
ber 8, 1882, which shows that in 1881 the number of 
deaths caused by snake-bite, of men and animals, con- 
trasted favourably with that of the previous year, 18$o. 
The statement appended to this resolution shows in 
detail for each province the number of persons and cattle 
killed by wild animals and snakes, and the number of 
wild animals and snakes destroyed, with the rewards paid 
for their destruction during the year 1881, as compared 
with the previous year. The figures are summarised in 
the following tables :— 
Number of Human Beings and Cattle Killed by Snakes 
Persons killed. Cattle killed. 
1880. 188r. 1880. 1881. 
Madras HACKY coms LC eg Pf ee OAR 
Bombay ‘ O72 L024 ase. 89 Igt 
Benpaligieret esp isi 1050046... 9,208) .... 1,248 154 
North-Western Pro- 
vinces and Oudh... 4,723 ... §,010 ... 221 ... 317 
Punjab Scat 681 744 ... 7 Sie ex 69 
Central Provinces ... gol 985 ... S0nnt 26 
British Purma... TAO) tee 135 194 150 
Coorg Boa | INE Nil ... Nil 
PASSA ee Osea) vse Pet Mice 189 ... Ctl cee 16 
Hyderabad Assigned 
Districts > jeacis  § Le yp ie = MELE 836 
Ajmere-Merwara ... 49 ... 54 eee Na Nil 
Total 19,060 ... 18,610 ... 2,536 ... 2,032 
Snakes killed and Rewards Paid 
Destroyed. Rewards. Destroyed. Rewards, 
1880. 188r. 
Ss. a, Rs. 
Madras ...... Nil sly ieee Nila aly Ni 
Benes, Pens Wf, O7o et 0;022) 340... 2075013)".,6,214. Lolo 
engall 0... 235200 vse 35733 6 19,282 ... 3,430 fo} 
MAM Provinces” sae - Sig 
and Oudh... 1,029 ... IO) 210 RalA2te SON Ses 
BanaDiesses sc Oizo). 635 50 22,2708 ale boi) AO 
Cent. Provinces 866... 336 60 1,493... 562 80 
British Burma. 997 ... 2 00. 2,990... 27 00 
Goorg: if. .-c0-c0 58... Nil tes TOs... 4 00 
PASSA DI ees sss 2O2F Nil SEang BEI Oe 
Hyderabad As- 
signed districts 158 ... 231480 ..: BX ote 
Ajmere-Merwara 61 ... Nil i ae pe a Ra 
Total 
The deaths of human beings from snake-bite were, in 
1880, 19,060; while in 1881 they were 18,610, 
212,776 ... 11,663 2 0... 254,968 ...11,960 143 
NATURE 
207 
In 1880, 212,776 snakes were destroyed at a cost of 
Rs 11,663. 
In 1881, 254,968 snakes were destroyed at a cost of 
Rs 11,961. 
Thus with an increased expenditure of Rs 298 in 1881, 
42,192 more snakes were destroyed and 450 lives were 
preserved, above the expenditure of the previous years. 
With regard to the measures adopted for the destruc- 
tion of venomous snakes, the following remarks are made 
by the Governor-General in Council :— 
“As regards the destruction of venomous snakes, special 
measures were adopted in some provinces, of which it 
appears desirable to give a brief account in case they may 
be considered suitable for adoption elsewhere. In Bengal 
a scheme has been sanctioned by the local Government 
in the case of the Patna Division, under which persons 
destroying snakes can obtain certificates from certain 
selected planters vouching for the poisonous nature of the 
snakes destroyed. The production of such a certificate 
entitles the holder to secure from the local authorities the 
reward offered whenever he finds an opportunity of ap- 
plying for it. As observed by the Government of Bengal, 
this concession will probably be found to add much to 
the convenience of persons claiming rewards, and to act 
as an inducement towards the destruction of poisonous 
snakes. The expediency of extending the scheme will be 
considered by the Local Government when the result of 
the current year’s operations are known. In the North- 
Western Provinces and Oudh the Lieutenant-Governor 
and Chief Commissioner has sanctioned the entertain- 
ment tentatively in each district of those provinces of a 
staff of Kanjars, or men of similar caste, who trap and 
kill reptiles, for the systematic destruction of venomous 
snakes. These men will receive pay at the rate of Rs. 2 
per mensem, together with an additional reward of two 
annas for every venomous snake in excess of twenty 
destroyed by each man during any month. A gang of 
snake-hunters is also to be employed at each tahsili, and, 
if the measure proves successful, it is proposed that 
similar gangs should be eventually appointed to each 
police circle of other local area, It appears to the 
Governor General in Council that a plan for the destruc- 
tion of snakes such as that initiated in the North-Western 
Provinces and Oudh, is likely to prove far more efficacious 
than the mere offer of rewards, although it is true that 
unless such operations are confined to towns and villages 
and their neighbourhood, where it is believed that the 
largest number of deaths occur from snake-bite, they will 
probably be very costly. His Honour the Lieutenant- 
Governor of the Punjab has issued a circular to commis- 
sioners and superintendents in the Punjab, drawing 
attention to the matter with a view to the adoption of 
measures for destroying snakes by system of rewards to 
be granted by district committees and municipalities. 
Casts and lithographed pictures of the more common 
species of deadly snakes have already been supplied to 
the police stations in some districts, and deputy commis- 
sioners have been requested to suggest to municipal and 
district committees the desirability of procuring similar 
means of reference for the purpose of testing applications 
for rewards. In British Burma the Chief Commissioner, 
with a view to encourage village snake-hunts in the rice 
plains, has arranged to grant sums varying from Rs Io to 
Rs 20, according to the number of houses, in aid of a feast 
or Jweh at the end of the annual hunt to every village 
which successfully carries out such an undertaking. 
“On the whole, the results recorded during the year 
under review appear to the Government of India to be 
more satisfactory than those of the previous year. The 
Governor General in Council is glad to notice that the 
‘question of taking measures to reduce the lamentable 
loss of life which is at present caused by wild animals 
and venomous snakes is receiving the earnest considera- 
tion of Local Governments and Administrations, and His 
