The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-10-09
MATCHING ALLIGATORS.
Studies in ZOOloGy-GettInE Live AIIIEatorr
from BREs-SOme Curious Instances Oi
Whnt Mny be Evolution.

Studies in Zoology CsttInE Live Alligator.
from EEEs-sOme Curious Instances OF
What May be Evolution.
Among the curious things to be seen
at present at the aquarium (says q New
York paper, is q tank with thirty-six
young alligators Matched from eggs
brought from the South. They are
about ten inches long, with dark green
bodies, large heads, and long tails
somewhat out of what would be con-
sidered proportion in full-grown alli-
gator. The baby alligators are ex-
tremely lively, wander around the tank
and struggle with each other very much
as young kittens do before they get
their eyes open. When they are lifled
out of the water and tightly squeezed a
low cultural sound can be heard. The
eggs from which they came, thirty eight
hours ago, are still at the side of the
tank and are about one-half larger than
hens egg and of the same color, The
snout of the young alligator has a sort
OF horn with which they break the shell,
In the same way that chickens do. In a
cellar beneath the aquarium are half a
dozen more eggs Matching in barrel of
straw. No artificial heat is used, and
the only care taken is to sprinkle the
eggs with water every day. About
three months is the time necessary for
incubation. When another batch of
eggs is received, an attempt will be made
to illustrate the different stages of in
cubation.
DR.. Dorner, the gentleman who has
had such success with the alligators, is
n fnAa -
freaks of nature to be seen in the tank.
where are kept some axolotls, q species
OF crawling batrachians resembling
salamanders with gills. Some years
ago five of these axolotls were sent
from Mexico to Prof. Dumesnil in Paris.
They had been well-known by natural
lists, and in the adult state the gills had
always been observed. To the surprise
of Prof. Dumesnil two of his axolotls
lost their gills, changed color and be-
came, to all appearances, salamanders.
Another instance of this transformation
was observed in Germany, and then it
was observed that the animal seemed to
have special power of adapting itself
to its surroundings. When taken from
deep water it lost its gills and became
to certain extent q land animal.
Changes in batrachians are not rare,
but they occur, exclusively in the young,
and are merely stages of growth. They
never occur in adults. Such a change
has taken place in one of the tanks at
the aquarium, and is the first instance
of the kind which has been observed in
this city. Prof. Marsh, of Yale College,
had the same good fortune in 1868 with
some axolotls from Wyoming. Dr.
Dorner looks upon his tank of axolotls
undergoing transformation into salaman-
ders as strong argument for the Dar-
winian theories.
Another singular observation which
he has also recently made concerns the
electric eel. Hitherto it has been sup
posed that the breathing apparatus of
this eel was similar to that of fishes. It
has been observed, however, that this
electric eel never opens its gills or its
mouth while under water, and that it
ascends to the surface every few minutes,
apparently for air, as the seal does.