THE INDIAN CROCODILE. :;i 



As this reptile is so dangerous and costly a neighbor to the inhabitant of the river banks, 

 many means have been adopted for its destruction. One such method, where a kind of har- 

 poon is employed, is described by Dr. Riippell: "The most favorable season is either the 

 winter, when the animal usually sleeps on sand-banks, luxuriating in the rays of the sun, or 

 the spring, after the pairing time, when the female regularly watches the sand islands where 

 she has buried her eggs. The native finds out the place, and on the south side of it, that is, 

 to the leeward, he digs a hole in the sand, throwing up the earth to the side which he exjjects 

 the animal to take. Then he conceals himself, and the Crocodile, should it fail to observe 

 him, comes to the accustomed spot and soon falls asleep. 



"The huntsman then darts his harpoon with all his force at the animal, for in order that 

 its stroke may be successful, the iron ought to penetrate to the depth of at least four inches, 

 in order that the barb may be iixed firmly in the flesh. The Crocodile, on being wounded, 

 rushes into the water, and the huntsman retreats into a canoe, with which a companion hastens 

 to his assistance. A piece of wood attached to the harpoon by a long cord, swims on the 

 water, and shows the direction in which the Crocodile is moving. The huntsmen, pulling 

 at this rope, drag the beast to the surface of the water, where it is again pierced by a second 

 harpoon. . . . 



"When the animal is struck, it by no means remains inactive; on the contrary, it 

 lashes instantly with its tail, and endeavors to bite the rope asunder. To prevent this, the 

 rope is made of about thirty sej)arate slender lines, not twisted together, but merely placed in 

 juxtaposition, and bound round at intervals of every two feet. The thin lines get between the 

 teeth or become entangled about them." 



In spite of the great strength of the reptile, two men can drag a tolerably large one out of 

 the water, tie up his mouth, twist his legs over his back, and kill him by driving a sharp steel 

 spike into the spinal cord just at the back of the skull. 



There are many other modes of capturing and killing the Crocodile, such as a hook 

 baited with meat, to which the voracious reptiles are attracted by the cries of a pig, which 

 is pulled by the tail or otherwise maltreated, for the purpose of eliciting those ear-piercing 

 yells which aggrieved swine always produce. The yelping of a dog answers the same 

 purpose, and is used in the same manner. In some cases the negroes are bold enough to 

 engage the Crocodile in its own element, and to attack it with a long knife, which they plunge 

 into the belly. 



The eggs of the Crocodile are about as large as those of the goose, and many in number, 

 so that these terrible reptiles would overrun the country, were they not persecuted in the 

 earliest stages by many creatures, who discover and eat the eggs, almost as soon as they are 

 laid. It is curious that the Crocodile is attended by a bird which warns it of danger, just 

 as the rhinoceros has its winged attendant, and the shark its pilot fish. The Crocodile bird is 

 popularly called the ziczac, from its peculiar cry. 



Several other species of Crocodiles are known, among which two species are deserving 

 of a short notice, namely, the Indian Crocodile (Crocodiliis porosus), and the American 

 Crocodile {Crocodilus americdnus). As the name of alligator is popularly given to these 

 and other reptiles, there is great confusion respecting the precise animal which is under 

 discussion. 



The Indian Crocodile, as its name imports, is an Asiatic species, and is found largely 

 in India. It is sometimes called the Double-Crested Crocodile, because the head is 

 furnished with two long ridges extending from the front of the eye over the upper jaw. 

 This species is common in Ceylon, and literally swarms in the still waters and tanks, 

 though it is but rarely found in rapid streams, and never except in the low lands, the hill 

 marshes being free from these pests. Respecting this animal. Sir E. Tennent writes as 

 follows : 



"The species which inhabit the fresh water is essentially cowardly in its instinct, 

 and hastens to conceal itself on the approach of man. A gentleman who told me the 

 circumstance, when riding in the jungle, overtook a Crocodile evidently roaming in search 



