A FEW HINTS ON CROCODILE SHOOTING, 83 
In skinning your animals, do not cut down the centre of the stomach, as in 
other animals. The stomach skin is the valuable part of the hide. The back 
is quite useless, being composed of a number of bony shields. Cut along the 
edge of the back below these hard shields, and go down to the end of the double 
spiky ridge on the tail. Skin right.up to the chin, and in the legs, cut so as to 
divide the large from the small scales, and skin as far as the first joint only. 
After you have skinned the animal, have all the flesh and particularly the fat, 
removed. Then lay it flat, wet surface uppermost, and rub a plentiful supply 
of salt in, as much as it will absorb, and then as much more again sprinkled over 
it and left. Dry the skin for a couple of days till all the liquid salt has soaked 
in or dried up, and then roll it up, pack it ina sack and send it off. It would be 
much better to send it off before drying, but the railway authorities will not now 
take them like that, though they used to. Besides, if there is a long journey 
before the skin, most of the salt drips off and the skin is apt to go wrong if there 
is any delay in delivery. In a few days’ time you will receive a letter from the 
tannery, telling you the skins arrived with very little salt rubbed into them, or 
with too much fat on them, or in a doubtful condition, but that they have taken 
them in hand and will do their best, etc., etc. Never mind, if you haven’t 
spared the salt and it is not later in the year than February or March, they 
will be quite all right. 
- If at the end of your shoot you can show one skin for every two bullets, you 
have done well. This does not include animals shot with your gun, or shot 
cartridges expended. It is the animals which get away wounded, after you 
have put two or three bullets into them that, lower your average. Ninety 
per cent. at least of your animals actually bagged should have been secured 
with a single shot each. You must also reckon on a good number of misses, 
as your target is a very limited one, and you know that if you go a little too high 
or low you will miss it. Remember that you are more apt to go low, and that 
with a H. V. rifle, as soon as the bullet strikes the water, it is done. It never 
ricochets off at the same angle it strikes the water at. 
Large animals of 14 feet and over are suitable for trunks, while the smaller 
ones are suitable for suit cases, gladstone bags, etc. 
For small articles such as purses or writing wallets, you want animals up to 
about 8 feet. The smaller the animal the finer the grain, and the smaller the 
article it is suitable for. 
In closing, I will just mention a few good shooting places. I only know the 
Bihar district, so can speak for that only. 
If you decide to shoot in this province, I would suggest the following 
places :— 
(1) Go to Dhamarra ghat on the B. N.W. railway ; you will get some fair shoot- 
ing there. There is also an inspection bungalow close to the shooting ground 
and station. Here there are jheels full of crocodiles, short snouters only, and 
also a river which goes under various names. Here it is called the Kusela. 
Where the railway crosses it isanexcellent stretch for both species, long and 
short snouters. You can get a couple of days shooting here. (2) If 
you go to Maheskhunt station, take a bicycle and ride to Chautham, 
about five miles north of it. Here you can get another two days’ shooting on 
the Ghugri. (3) This river joins the Labkhi Dhar, a branch of the Kosi, about 
six miles down-stream, and just below the junction is the village of ‘Telihar. 
This is a great spot. (4) About a mile or so west of this, another branch of the 
Kosi joins the Labkhi Dhar, upstream of its confluence, with the Ghugri. I 
do not know the name of this other stream, but its confluence with the 
Labkhi is another favourite spot, particularly for short snouters, and really 
big ones too. (5) If you follow the Labkhi upstream you will get shooting 
for several miles, and good shooting, though there is a blank stretch between 
the last confluence mentioned and a point about two miles upstream. 
