MY ENEMY THE CROCODILE

After the war the author went to Nyasaland to hunt crocodiles and has enjoyed it, with the contingent pleasures of life in the bush, ever since. He manages to make the readers like it too, for he writes smoothly and his knowledge of his subject reveals a reflective quality common to the hunter, philosopher and scientist. His motives for choosing such an occupation are threefold:- 1) the excitement and satisfaction for a person repelled by an office desk; 2) the price the skins bring; 3) the goal of ridding Lake Nyasa of a serious threat to its fish. The elements of hunting techniques, crocodile characteristics and the wild life of the area provide a rich assortment of episodes and anecdotes, uniquely centered around one of the world's more spectacular creatures, whose only enemy is man. A likely candidate for the Corbett market, this offers an original and practical view of hunting.