The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-01-22
CROCODILE APPETITES.
Social and Domestic Ethics Among tn
CrOcOdilcs of India.

Social and Domestic Ethics Among tn,
CrocOdilcs of India.
DIR. Day, in his report on the fisheries
OF India, gives an interesting notice OF
the extent to which crocodiles will des
troy fish. There are two distinct gen.
era of croco lilies in India. The first OF
these is the true tish-eating crocodile
(GaUiaHs GangeticuS, GnaeiinD, which
attains upward of twenty feet in length
and is found in the Indus, the Ganges
and other large rivers. This spt cies
has long ana slender snout 1t is usu.
ally timid of man, excepting wheH the
locality where its eggs are deposited in
the sand is invaded. 1t does not ap-
pear to feed on carrion, but fish, turtll.
and tortoises form its diet. II 1863 it
was deemed one of the sights at Out
tack to watch these enormous reptiles
feeding below the irrigation weir, which
was impending the upward ascent of the
breeding fish. Their long brown snouts
would be seen rising to the surface of
the water with fish crosswise in their
jaws Their finny prey was flung into
the air by toss of the head, and de-
scending head foremost, fell into the
captors' comparatively small mouths.
They are very prolific A single gun
has been known to destroy sixty out of
one brood in three hours shooting. But
some fishermen, when asked if they
ever kill the crocodiles, Mt once protest
against such n course. Their argument
was, care we not both of the tish-des-
troying race, aud how could we be so
cruel as to destroy them?" AS to the
destruction committed by these crea-
lures, they merely remark that they
would themselves do the same if they
could, and in this undoubtedly they
spoke the truth. However, it is not to
be expected that fishermen should be-
stow their time in destroying young
crocodiles, and they do not carry guns
to shoot the full-grown animals. Neither
will the native sportsmen waste their
ammunition on crocodiles, which are of
no use to them when killed. The means
proper to reduce their number are to Of
fer rewards for the destruction of their
eggs. The common crocodile (crOdOdi-
Ws 1nluStris) also abounds in India,
and though usually termed man-eaters,
they assist in depopulating the waters
of fish; and it is only when the tinny
tribes or carrion are scarce that they
will attack the larger mammals, includ-
ingman but, having once tasted blood,
they appear eager to do so again. In
some of the irrigation canals one or
more of these creatures may usually be
seen below the locks, where there
are pools stocked with fish, and
when the latter fail they will
turn their attention to the cattle.
DR.. Day, in 1868, noticed four below
large weir at Cuttack six weeks after
ward they had increased to nine, be-
sides many little ones aud he calcula-
ted that the fish they were then con-
suming day by day would be worth
more than twenty-five rupees. His sug-
gestion to give five rupees apiece as
reward for the destruction of these an
imals was disregarded ; and supposing
these nine crocodiles had not increased,
and that the yonng ones never lived to
grow up, they would still have consum-
ed fish to the value of E2, 1878 in the
three and a half years to the middle of
1872, all which might have been avoided
by the outlay of 45 rupees at the time
referred to. But the ravages Of croco-
diles are not confined only to the fish.
Comp He'd by hunger, they will help
themselves to cattle, or else feed on
human beings who may approach incau-
tiously near the water Thus there is a
hole in the river Nuna to which croco-
dies in the dry season will resort. OF
course the fish in such pools are soon
exhausted, and in 1868 these monsters
carried off five adults. SO also near
the Baropa weir two women and one
horse were devoured by crocodiles in
one month. Their one redeeming quail
ity is that they are the natural scaven-
gers of the rivers. This, however, is
only true of the common crocodile, and
as the fisheries of England are deterio-
rating, these large, tish-eating reptiles
ought to be energetically reduced. as
they are no longer required in such
numbers as before, even if we copcede
full force to the arguments of those
whoiare for maintaining the balance of
natl1re on every side