The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-09-24
CROCODILES IN FLORIDA.
Their Immense sizc-AttackipRn Boat-U,A
md Teeth-A hide ON n Caymnn.

| Florida. last month" said a dealer in curiosi.
ties to n couple OF customers.
Alligator you mean" said bystander.
| mo: crocodile
Never heard Of one in Florida"
We'll" was the reply. Il won't go into tbs
particulars of your ignorance. as you're per.
haps excusable Crocodes in Florida certain.
| ly are a late discovery. and to-day there ia not
one man in thousand that knows they can be
| found there"
| How is it they have never been seenw
asked one Of the group Of listeners
In the first place" said the crocodile hunte,
they amt SO common; and in the Second
place. when the average sporting man sees an
ugly critter before him ten or fifteen feetlo
| he amt apt to examine into specific difference
! The first crocodile brought from Florida Is in
tho Smithsonian Institution at Washington.
| Any one can see it, and there's q big difference
between them and aigators. Even the In.
dams and Crackers know the difference.
| They call the crocodllcs long nosed gaters'
and that's Just where the difference comes in.
| The scientific name Is CrOcOdi'Is dc,itus from
their sharp nose Their habits arc unlike ths
| CATERS. These lie around up the rivers in fresh
water. but tho crocodilcs live In tho salt
marshes. The way we came across them was
all by accident. We'd been sponging on the
reef, and it coming on to blow from the north.
| ard. we put into Key Biscayne. and lay in the
lee of the key. 1t blew for three days and then
We went ashore for water. and put the dingy
up a creek or kind Of bay that set
in. The place grew narrower as We
pulled in. and was overgrown with
bay cedars and mangroves 1 was just think
| ing about jumping overheard to haul the dingy
ashore when VIC ran into something. The
shock knocked me over on to the bows. and
| hat 4 ,,nt, IN, I han ri , cy,ln onI,
mate yelled Down bridge Tho used to be-
skipper of canal boat-and all hands ducked.
dropping oars and everything. and the tail Of q
'gater came over tho boat like an admnistra.
ton reform. 1t knocked out the rowlocks.
and would have knock e. mans n he a,1 on Ws
tail and then made off. When we looked over
the rail there was the biggest , , gator III eyer Yer
creature was longer than the boat. AS soon as
we recovered We"
Mo- replied the story tel'ei. we Lnled for
the shore in short metre. Ihe gator got on
and had shot at him He got of and uD Dd the
creek still further. but put bullet into this
one have here. As soon I as we picked him up
ever and there's . heap Of them right there
for me; I'm satisfied with gators. They amt
so ugly. and there's savage look about a
viii come up. lay her eggs. and walk off, but but
with crocodile it's another story. She stays
s the ns and rs a y son Sr
all right She sort o stands by to see fair play.
while the sun does the hard work. When they
a clumsy way. and TRY to help them out. all the
time making kind of barking sound as if she
was encouraging them to break through. and it
does have that effect"
Il never heard Of the voice of a crocodile"
broke in the obJcctionist.
Well voice they have" continued tho
speaker man that lives on the Miami
River tolG me thHt he heard ayyHpng and . bark;
fox hounds had got lost he followed it UP. TO
find IT was big she crocodile; and that's the
sound they make. kind Of yclping bark:
and Of they go after her., ike thickens, after a
old one by food disgorged The males showa
Great taste for their own KIN a ana a s9m 1 Dig
over the young. Anybody to see one on land
wouldn't think they could get around but
that's their strong hold. They don't lle around
jump bodily, and in doing so. they crook up
their backs in Il curious position"
The crocodile from Florida is similar to those
found in the swamps OF jamaica and shouldn't
be confused, with the cayman Of northern South
America w The spscim9sn in the National Nm.
by Prof. Ward Of Roche The HbpST pa Fart is Is
a"e f The Upper par Of the legs % dcap
yellowish tints. green and Whit. The eyes
showa curious membrane analogous to that
found in birds, which are not so far from the
reptiles rs is generally supposed. The mouth
is extremely large the teeth are sharp, those
hard work. II is said that though the alligator
grows with eAtrem. ranidty the croccdl.
months. The cayman and gayial are relations
of the above, the latter being the largest, sper.
the Nile twenty-five and even thirty feet
Ions, their long narrow Jaws eoniaIInns
is much drended and Iudging from the skull
of one in the British Museum which is n,ns
Gs, GnG i is TO n59mSS s Tor i5 ,fns
food the crocodilcs are much livcler than the
alligntors, and those of tho West Indies haze
been seen to toss their food in the air. catching
il skilfully. They rarely attack people out ot
water. but there is,a case on record IN which
by taking the most surprising leaps, bending
its back after the fashion OF eat and making
such good time that the bewildered clergyman.
after rushing round in n circle in vain ATTEMPTS
to avoid it, was obliged to take TO a tree. where
he was watched for some time. .,
Wutcrton. the naturalist. has probably Inc
uncnvable distinction of being the only per; n
who ever rode a cayman barebacked In his
Nand"rings lie says;
placed all the people NJ the end of the rope and o.
lSeG ~" to pun VIII g Nan Hppeare! s'qr
below aga" upon ,ncir ,aekins Of The rope as
them we wou,' have him on shore immedn,eiv at Al
sA inS R"SS "1a ~ a"a G H.' s X" v %'
and pefIarSa,i,n F and ins'n9iS dTqTpsi he nv
Sr5and az "" ya%r as S hal n gained H MY cs Win ~
farr in night position ! mms,hi'N felfri p t F,
hey serve" n '; a. i aic lie now .a. rSc}yi
h r% S om SrPr.Sf IT, f n.Ic r hS a,d w6 m ns
wGs on of reach Of the strokes by heing near hs Na
Very mcomtortanIc i, mus io's Wen mn s'sh r
trrnWh a,d Wer So yorcir,ros ,a i, was some Inn.
hsiorr my heard me t, them 10 pun me ana Hs ,.
might break nnl then Their, Would have bccn eyw
,, , Si T f To n,,a NH r Sw "dr%g n. a@.
fort arls ON me .ard It Was The tir' and last TIME