The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-08-14
The Alligator at Home.

follows concerning the habits OF The
Alligator at Home :"
eve had dropped the sail, and
landed to make luncheon, being little
after the hour of noon. While seated
upon a projecting point of the rivers
bank, with reach of clear water before
us, We saw an alligator swimming along
gently, the spinal portion of its body
being above the surface of the water.
1t was one of large size, though not of
the largest we had seen. As far as we
could Judge, it was full fourteen feet in
length, with proportionate thickness.
1t was not it's great bulk which caused
us to turn our eyes upon it with inter-
est; we were too well acquainted with
these saurians to care much about the
sight. The one in question had apecul.
iarity attached to it in the shape of a
numerous retinue. This consisted Of
a young brood, not less than fourscore
i'll number, closely following it. They
were evidently the years progeny, and
the old enc heading them was the
mother.
"The little creatures were all of one
size, each about a foot in length, and as
like one another as a school of mackerel
or herrings. They were nearly black,
with some mottlings of a yellowish
color, giving them the hue of tortoise
shell. AS the water was perfectly
limpid, we could see every movement
made both by the mother and her nu-
merous family of chicks, as clearly as
ii we had been viewing them through
the plate-glass of an aquarium. The
old one swan straight on, passing close
to the spot on which we were seated,
and apparently regardless of our pres
ence. Her attention taken up with her
young, perhaps she had not seen either
us or our boat. The little creatures
followed her in a somewhat extended
line, neither losing nor gaining dis
lance. Nor did they appear to deviate
from one another in the slightest de-
gree, but maintained their relative po-
sitions with as much eXactitude as
flock of birds in their flight.
eve should have allowed them to go
lInmolested, but science would not be
cheated of her chance. The naturalist
wished to observe how the old alligator
would act under the circumstances, ard
if it was true that the parent, when at
tackled, gives protection to her young
by swallowing them. To prove whether
the strange story was fact or only fable,
ball was fired, which was seen to hit
the old one fair on the side of the skull.
"The result was not so conclusive as
we had wished. The shot seemed to
produce no more effect than if the
bullet had been boiled pea. The rep
tile only gave plunge forward, curled
up its thick flat tail, and, striking it re-
peatedly down, raised a commotion in
the water for several yards around.
Into the space thus much agitated the
young ones suddenly darted, as if there
seeking protection but, on account of
the disturbance of the water and the
froth now floating on the surface, their
movements were no longer observable
and before the water became still
again, parent and progeny had disap-
peared, having all sunk to depth
where their somber hue rendered them
invisible.
eve shortly after came upon
breeding-place of these gigantic lizards,
containing six separate hillocks, or, as
they may be called, nests. They were
of an obtuse, conical shape, nearly
regular, their tops rising between three
and four feet above the ground. They
were in a state of ruin, the young hav
ing escaped from the eggs, and only
some fragments of the shells remaining.
On laying open one of the hillocks,
however, we found several eggs,
added, which, for some reason I'M
known TO us, had remained unmatched.
They were white, with the surface
much rougher than that of a fowls
egg, the inequality being caused by
lines or grooves running in all direc-
tons, and looking like Chinese charac-
tiers, impressed upon the shell when
soft. They were about the size of
goose-eggs, though quite different in
shape, being more slender and equally
tapered at both ends. One we
measured was over four inches in
length, the shorter axis being abont
half the longer one.
"The alligator selects a spot of dry
ground on which to make its nest, usu-
ally where there is long coarse grass or
reeds, and near the waters edge. 1t
proceeds by spreading a compost over
the surface several inches in thickness.
1t is mixture of mud, grass, and the
leaves and stalks of herbaceous plants.
On this she deposits-for it is the
female that builds the nest-a layer of
eggs, and covers them over with thick
stratum of the same compost. Then a
second layer of eggs is voided and
spread over the platform. These are
also covered in like manner. On the
top more eggs are placed till the laying
is completed, when all receive further
coat of the mixed earth and vegetable
matter. .furrr
"The heat generated by the fermen-
tation of the latter is supposed to as
sist the sun in the incubation. Over
hundred eggs will be found in an ALI
gators nest, but whether all the
product of one female is a question.
During the breeding season the old
ones are exceedingly savage, especial
ly in the neighborhood of their nests.
I" A large alligator lying upon the
surface, may easily be mistaken for
floating log, and is often compared to
this. The rhomboidal protuberance
somewhat resembling the corrugated
bark of tree help to heighten the sim
ilarity. Often an alligator is seen
thickly coated over with mud, and not