The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-15
MATCHING THE ALLIGAT0RS.
THE EGGs TINT DOCTOR DORNER mas
BEDDED IN THE AOUlRIUM
Loutsinnians to he brought to Life In New
York Cty-A Week Of Intent Watching
The Keenness Of the Female Alligator.

The alligatOrs eggs that Dr. Dorncr OF
the New York Aquarium has beddcd in sand
and moss in the engine room OF that popular
resort came from Louisiana. Why they were
not brought from Florida DR.. Dorner could not
say. Certainly tho passage by steamer from the
mouth Of the st. Johns river must be shorter
and quicker by several hours than that from tho
Crescent City lie could not bring the eggs by
rail as the jostlng would injurc them In such
manner MS to destroy the life Of the embryo. and
render the eggs useless for the purpose OF incu-
batlOn. However. these aligators eggs are
from the Mississippi. and DR.. Dorner has put
them into boxes OF sand and Of moss and keeps
them in the engine room because 1t Is the warm
est place In the Aquarium. with the hope Of
Matching them and raising native New York
allgators Of Louisiana extraction. literally ex-
traction. for these eggs were extracted from
the nests OF the female alligators on the banks
OF the Mississppi-holcs lined with moss and
covered with sand or earth aud leaves TO hide
the precious deposit from the male alligator.
which. though he does not eat the eggs. will.
Saturn-like surely devour his infant Offspring
rs soon as they are hatchcd. II lie can catch
them on thor way TO the water after they have
cast of their shells. and. in the water also. un-
less they are too quick and their mother too
keen Tor them,
To avert this catastrophe IL the great aim OF
the maternal alligator instinct. She BULLS her
nest near the edge of the water in depressed
conical form. deposits her eggs therein aud
then makes her own burrow or hole under the
nest. From TINT lair sue watches her eggs ~
closely ns DR.; Dorner does those that he is in
cubnting in the engine room of the Aquarium.
regulating the heat. and watching the Their
mometer ut all hours of tho day and night.
DIR. Dorner's eggs have beon in the Matching
boxes Just che week. He fRncies that he viii
have to watch them three weeks longer. Those
who have studied the habits " the alligator
their native haunts say that he will have To
watch I'VE weeks longer before his baby allga-
tors will come forth in thoir black aud gold
spotted coats. They may not come forth at all
from this setting Of eggs. for the Doctor has
tried several times. and IA yet without success
Have you turned the eggs over every day p
we yentured to ask. remen.bering that hens
ducks, and pigeons perform thut Office daily
while in1cubatng their eggs.
Ina. have not" the Doctor replied
Because the female alligator does not turn
her eggs. She puts them into the nest and
leaves them there to be- Matched 10y the heat OF
the sun. No one has ever seen an alligator 70
to her nest and uncover the eggs during tho
long II takes the egg TO hatch. The creatures
airsss sly In all their Proceedings it Is very
difficult 10 study their habits"
As patiently and Ms deierentially rs n true
servant always listens did DIR. Dorner listen 20
the reasons we thought we had for differing
with him IN regard to the alligator mother s
conduct in this matter
He admitted the possibility OF the sly crea-
,ures Visit TO her nest; under cover OF night,s
biack curtain. to turn her eggs. While acknOwl.
edging its probable maternal instincts and
natural cunning. he urged. on the other hand.
Its lstessness and tOrpOr. and its preference
for lazily sleeping In the sun on the bank OF a
river or Heating asleep in the water TO aking
any eNcrtlons even TO grHtiiy the demands oi
It's appetite. But we are inclined to think he
VIII turn over the eggs in one box ut least daily.
" Why does DIR. DOrner wish to hatch alliga-
tors eggs asked little boy who followed us
e So that he may watch the young alligaiors
and learn all about them, Us YOU have about the
fishes you have been telling me the names OF
this morning, we replied.
II was indeed wonderful tho amount Of knowl.
edge that that little seven-year-old boy had
| picked up in his summer morning visits to the
| Aquarium. We thought we knew something
about fishes. the wonders Of water. and the bot
| lore; our little friend hnd read nature while
we had been. porting over Glaucus. or reading
| Schlegsl and Louis Figuier.
We went astray every minute. even with the
Aquarium guide book In hand and the tanks
numbered. and the fishes they contained named
on the guide boards. true. born naturalist
the little fellow was more Interested in the
minute and obscure forms OF animal and iniu-
sorinl life than in natures more apparently per-
fected vertsbrated creatures with their eyes
mouths. and giils. fins and seal -. He watched
our lace rs an old connosscur IN pleasur" does
| the face OF youthful beauty. as he saw oar adj
miration Of the antics of the skates and congei
cells, the Holsters and crabs. sea bass, Sleeps
| heads and other marine creatures in the great
tank. in which the sunlight falling through
made the pale green water transparent enough
10 reveal them all against the glass bound side'
and the peebly. sandy bottom. He followed IA
| 10 where the great drum FISH were dartnl
after each other in company with the
the rod squirrel fsh, with big. blue blacL
eyes that come from Bermuda. and he it wa,
| who told US that these blue-tnied FISH So grace
| fully disportng in the pglh green crysia
| water Imprisoned in rough rocky walls on the
hack and plate glass in front We're yellow perch
| He pointed out the devil fish lying SO clos'
against the sandy bottom and the glass wall
AMI so nearly the color oi the pebbles and III,
water that we did not see II at first and he told
MS that the pretty blue-footed crabs that kept al
such a distance from the ugly monster wer,
afraid of II because 1t would catch and eat them
| He told us. too and we saw the expermen
tried aiterward, that the devil fish would tnrI
| red as blood IL he WAS touched. and always
| turned red when attacking crab or eating one
were, and pointed out the fiddler crabs, an,
| knew the difference between snail and a snai
shell that hermit crab had taken possession
Of for his abode. He had watched the move
ments Of the sea anemones growing on tn
| rocks amid little tiny poyps called tube flow
| ers and which We thought We're Titled re,
| flowers until our small friend slapped the glas,
with the palm OF his hand. and imam insian
every ,le wny G red tub Hover ned isap
protruded to breathe and suck in nourishmen
from the wnter.
On rock near the centre OF tank wher
poys of various kinds. tube flowers live coral
sponge. sea lettuce delicate green ulvnl ane
| mones and dulse were growing md living TO
gether. we saw white lace-like, funne-form
| ed. translucent object moving almost impercep
| tibly with sensitive cOntrnctions and eXpan
sions. Surely II was plant. No, II was an ami
nal polyp. for when the side OF the tank wa
| tapped with the palm OF the hand il vanshe,
like magic. TO reappear in few seconds. re
| suming its delicate breathings.
| We watched together all the strange forms q
life under the sea which have been made famil
| lar 10 those frequenters OF the Aquarium wht
are students. for not all that 70 there know thu
beauty OF the place us that little boy did wilt
| said that his mother took him there ever,
morning and helped him to find the strans
creatures and their names She had laugh
him. too. thereby PERHAPS all unron
not a mere worshipper OF sensnou
size. These gorgeous living pictures an'
| fAdeless flower gardens under water. and aque
Gus landscapes Inhabited with bgand little crea
lures rivnlling the dreams ot the old German
ghost painters. had made their mark on her lit
| tie boy. He will stand good chance To Ice on
Of those men who make the study Of nature al
aim rs well as a diversion one Of those men o
science who are such wholesome and plensan
| companions abroad. and at home are blnmrlcsl
| simple. and cheerful; Il man with childlik
| heart and a manful head one that will do N
good work with different instruments il nee,
requires rs he no doubt. will with the micro
scope and the scapel. And that Is the kind o
| boy that will lind beauty and meaning at tn
| seaside when he goes down there tnat the DO
who goes TO the Aquarium only To- see the trninel
| can never find.
And when that little boy grows to be a man
should boRo 10 New Orleans or St. Augustine
ha .r,Aa hla nj tall lta Inn aiu i'm