Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-07-11

CrOcodiIes and Aiiigators.
Alligators and crocodiles are rep
tiles.
They are not only reptiles, but ugly
reptiles very ugly. Ugly in looks
and worse in disposition. They dc
not seem to know what gratitude is,
and will kill and eat a benefactor as
quickly as an enemy. In Egypt, where
the great Nile river is, there are very
many large crocodiles. As the croco-
die, like all other reptiles, has cold
blood, instead of warm blood such as
we have, he is very fond Of basking in
the hot sun. lie drags his great ugly
body out of the water and lies on
sand-bank.
The crocodile lays her eggs in hole
n the hot sand and then goes away.
Che eggs may be broken, or destroyed
Us they often are by little anima
'aled the ichneumOn; but Mrs. CrOco-
lille cares nothing for that. The little
mes may hatch out and get to the
water as best they may.
1t must be said that the alligator,
which is found only in North and
south America, is a better mother
han her cousin, the crocodile, which
S found in this country, but is most
common in Africa and Asia.
The alligator goes to her eggs about
the time she knows they ought to
hatch, and when the little ones come
out of the shell she leads them to the
water and feeds them. Although
very stupid creature, the alligator in
some parts of South America knows
that it can produce heat by putting
damp leaves and other vegetable mat
ter together. A sort of fermentation
is produced in this way, and the inside
of the heap of leaves will become very
warm. And this knowledge enables
it to hatch its eggs.
There is one respect in which the
crocodile has the advantage of you.
He never has the toothache. This is
not because he does not eat candy, but
because he never keeps his teeth long
enough for any ache to catch them.
His teeth are shaped like cone, or
sugar-loaf, with the part that sets in
the Jaw hollow. In this hollow place
a new tooth is always growing, ready
be used as soon as the old one falls out.
A dentist would have very poor busi-
ness among crocodiles.
CrocOdiles usually live on fish and
such other animals as are found on or
under the water; but when driven by
hvnger they will attack any creature
Jnau comes near lntlll.
In one case a party of hunters had
camped out and built a fire to cook
their supper, The fire was burning
finely, and the supper was cooking and
sending out a most savory odor, when
one of the party who was standing
over the fire putting on some more
wood was suddenly thrown to the
ground; the fire was scattered in all
directions and the supper overturned
into the mud.
The fire had been made on the back
of a sleeping alligator, who had at
last been reused by the extreme heat
and had created all the cOmmotion in
his efforts to escape the torture. AS
he was as frightened as the hunters,
he made no attempt to revenge him
self, but scuttled off as fast as he
could, leaving the hunters staring at
each other in astOnishment.
There is one result of this habit
which is most singular. While the al
ligator is buried in the mud, seeds will
sometimes fall on his back and sprout
and take root there obtaining firm
hold in the creases between the small
plates that form the skin of the back
The growth of vegetation is very rapid
in these warm countries, and conse-
ouently it will come about that the
shrubs and plants will become thick
and high.
By-and-by when the warm weather
comes and the rivers fill up, the alliga.
tor, still very stupid, will rouse himself
and 90 to the water, on the surface of
which he will float for long time be-
fore seeking food. Then it is that
birds will settle upon these strange
islands and pick up the worms and
insects that have, unluckily for them
selves, gone there to live.