CAIMAN CAPTURE IN VENEZUELA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6500, 1 June 1899, Page 3

CAIMAN CAPTURE IN VENEZUELA.

(Outing.) The South Amterican caiman bears a closer resemblance to the crocodile of the Ganges than to the alligator of bur Southern States. The skull of the caiman is larger and less flat than that of the alligator, the protuberances along the head and back are more marked, tlie teeth are set differently, and finally, the toes are more webbed, in accordance with habjits almost exclusively aquatic. " They're very clumsy on land," our pioneer friend Remarked, " and so, if you see one coming for you, just wait till he 'most gets up to you, and then dodge to one side, jit will take a .whole acre lot to turn him around in, and befor c he's pointed at ybu again, you can get ready to dodge again, and just keep it up till you tire him out." . . . He also gave us the comforting assurance that the caiman, if he caught a man, did not immediately devour him, but carefully buried him in the mud till he got tender.. This indication that the caiman was a bon vivant did not increase our confidence in him. FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE. CAIMANS. j Some were floating like black logs in the river (indeed, our unpractised eyes coujd not distinguish them from logs, so gentle are their motions in swimming and so nearly are their bodies submerged) ; otihep. were sunning themselves on the banks, whence they rolled into the wat^r with a great splashing as our boat approached. Our rifles were soon at work, and we materially reduced the caima/n population of that region, though occasionally some one of us would waste a shoton a log, and, of course, all bullets which did not strike square glanced off harmlc?.? from the thick and tough hide of the reptiles. ... The old theory that one must shoot a crocodile in the eye in order to kill was proved' fallacious. A bullet from a modern Winchester or Martini, if it strikes square above a vital spot, is almost certain.^ fatal: When wounded the creatures uttered a fearful bellowing, much like that of an enraged bull, and spun round and round, lashing the water furiously with their tails. , The death agonies of these reptiles, hiowever, left v* quite unmoved. I had never been able tb overcome my repugnance either to causing or witnessing the death of . any warmblooded creature, no matter how insignificant or small, but for these lurk'nir evil things not one pang of pity disturbed my breast. * ; The guide proposed to show us the native method of trapping caiman. We wei*e rowed some distance from the town ; theri, disembarking, we walked slowly along the river bank, our guide ahead, his bright eyes closely scanning the surface of th£ I water. At last he stopped and exclaimed;: " Caiman — caiman ! " pointing to what looked like a group of floats lying at some distance in front of us. He bade us conceal ourselves in the brush near by and await results. Cutting an osier wand about ji yard and a half in length, he fastened it by means of tough grass into the form of a circle, following its outline with ! A RUNNING NOOSE OF STRONG ; ROPE, j fastened to the osier at short intervals by means.of strips. of short bark easily broken. The lower part of the hoop was then baited with offal from a sheep freshly killed. Divesting himself of most of his clothing, the Indian waded into the river until he reached a depth of four or five feetj He then secured the hoop to a stake driven into the mud of the riverbed, arranging so a£ to leave the bait about two inches belo\|* the surface of the water. The trap being now ready, our hunter began to splash about noisily, ducking his head under the water occasionally and making bubbles rise as h^ imitated the sounds made by cattle in drinking. After a few moments given to these manoeuvres, the long irregular line of floats began to make a ripple -in our direction; As they slowly , advanced, a native woman came down to the shore opposite us with arms full of soiled linen. She was barefooted, and tucking up her skirts, she waded into the stream, and dipping a piece of linen, began to beat .it against,: a flat stone. The caimans saw and noted. The floats changed their direction, and slowly moved toward the unconscious lavaudera. Ouv shouts and- gestures warned her of her danger, and she hastily scrambled out of the water, postnoning her washing till some more auspicious time. . . . The disappointed ca : mans were again attrac-ed j by our guide's splashing, and at length one, I thirteen feet long, came within a; doz^n; : yards of him, retreated a little and then/ again advanced. From our hiding-place we could see his evil eye fixed on THE HTJMAN BAIT. • Then, as the reptile made a quick start, the guide retreated to shallower water, i still keeping up his splashing as though unconscious of the animal's approach. When the caiman came within about eight feet : of the hoop, the Indian thought best to leave the water, as they are capable of rushing for a short distance with terrific speed through their native element. Advancing a little further the creature got scent of the offal bait, and in an instant more his jaws closed over it — his upper jaw within the rope and osier circle, his lower jaw below it. The noose was immediately jurked taut by our hunter, and broken from the willow hoop, it enclosed the head tightly, catching fast in the upper teeth. The creature was then quickly pulled ashore by all hands, and dispatched by a bullet through the heart from one of our rifles. On our return to Encontrados we watched the process of skinning our latest victim. The methods of the natives are simple and .primitive in this, as in all else they do. and there is little attempt at improving on old methods. The crocodile's skin is split down the spine, a> along that region the pelt is too thick and lumpy to be available for leather. The skin is then stripped off in one piece, salt ahd arsenic rubbed on the under side, and it is spread. I ri.w .surface down, on. the hot rrud to I cure.