Fig. 107.–Dorsal view of the skull of Crocodilus palustris. × ⅛. The arrangement of the nuchal scutes is shown in the upper left-hand corner; E, position of the ear-flap.
This, the "Marsh Crocodile," has a wide distribution. It inhabits the rivers, ponds, tanks, and marshes of India and Ceylon, extending eastwards through Burma and Malacca into most of the Malay islands, westwards into Beluchistan. This species is frequently venerated by the Hindoos, and is kept in a kind of domesticated condition, attended by fakirs. One of the most famous crocodile ponds, the so-called "mugger-peer," lies in an oasis of the sandy stretches to the north-west of Karachi. A. L. Adams has described a visit to this pond.[[140]]
"The greater pond is about 300 yards in circumference, and contains many little grassy islands, on which the majority of the Crocodiles were then basking; some were asleep on its slimy sides, others half submerged in the muddy water, while now and then a huge monster would raise himself upon his diminutive legs, and waddling for a few paces, fall flat on his belly. Young ones, from a foot in length and upwards, ran nimbly along the margin of the pond, disappearing suddenly in the turbid waters as soon as we approached. The largest crocodile lives in a long narrow tank separated from the others. The fakirs, and natives who worship in the neighbouring temples, have painted his forehead red; they venerate the old monster, making a salaam to his majesty whenever he shows himself above water. A handsome young Beloochee, whose occupation it was to feed the animals, informed us that this specimen was upwards of 200 years old, and that by way of a 'tit-bit' he was in the habit of devouring the young crocodiles. During our visit this enormous brute was asleep on the bank of his dwelling-place, and seemed quite indifferent to our presence, although we came within a foot of him, and even attempted to arouse him by rubbing his nose with a leg of goat's flesh, which, however, a young one greedily seized. Our attendant tried in vain to excite their ferocity, but beyond a feeble attempt to snap their trenchant teeth, the animals showed no disposition to attack us.
"A pony was wading about in the pond and feeding on the grassy hillocks, but the crocodiles took no notice of him.
"The crocodiles dig deep in the sand, under the neighbouring date-trees, and there deposit their eggs. Quantities of deciduous teeth, of various sizes, were strewn along the slimy sides of the pond.
"Strangers are expected to stand treat, not only by the fakirs and natives, who gain a livelihood by hanging about the pond and showing the monsters, but even the crocodiles themselves seem to anticipate a feast, and on the arrival of a party come out in unusual numbers. Accordingly, we had a goat slaughtered, during which operation the brutes seemed to rouse themselves, as if preparing for a rush. Then our guide, taking piece after piece of the flesh, dashed it on the bank, uttering a low growling sound, at which the whole tank became in motion, and crocodiles, of whose existence we had been before ignorant, splashed through the shallow water, struggling which would seize the prize. The shore was literally covered with scaly monsters, snapping their jaws at one another."
Sir J. Emerson Tennent[[141]] has had many opportunities of studying the habits of the Marsh Crocodile. According to him it is essentially cowardly in its instincts, and hastens to conceal itself on the approach of man. One of these creatures, which was overtaken in the jungle by a gentleman riding on horseback, fled to a shallow pool, and thrusting its head into the mud till it covered up its eyes, remained motionless, in profound confidence of perfect concealment.
"There is a popular belief that the crocodile is exceedingly sensitive to tickling, and that it will relax its hold of a man if he can only contrive to reach and rub with his hand the softer parts of its under side. An incident of some reality in this piece of folk-lore came under my own observation. One morning ... we came suddenly upon a crocodile asleep under some bushes of the buffalo-thorn, several hundred yards from the water. The terror of the poor wretch was extreme when it awoke and found itself discovered and completely surrounded. It was a hideous creature, upwards of 10 feet long.... It started to its feet and turned round in a circle, hissing and clanking its bony jaws, with its ugly green eye intently fixed upon us. On being struck with a stick, it lay perfectly quiet and apparently dead. Presently it looked cunningly round, and made a rush towards the water, but on a second blow it lay again motionless and feigning death. We tried to rouse it, but without effect; pulled its tail, slapped its back, struck its hard scales, and teased it in every way, but all in vain; nothing would induce it to move till, accidentally, my son, then a boy of twelve years old, tickled it gently under the arm, and in an instant it drew the limb close to its side and turned to avoid a repetition of the experiment. Again it was touched under the other arm, and the same emotion was exhibited, the great monster twisting about like an infant to avoid being tickled."
In the dry season, when the tanks become exhausted, the Marsh Crocodiles have occasionally been encountered in the jungle, wandering in search of water. During a severe drought, in 1844, they deserted a tank near Kornegalle, and traversed the town during the night, on their way to another reservoir in the suburb; two or three fell into the wells; others, in their trepidation, laid eggs in the street, and some were found entangled in garden fences and killed.