The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-07-18

crciscs n parental naie over them. always
retaining within n0iind OF their voices
not so much to protect them from their
natural enemy, man, rs from their I'm.
natural enetny their father who has An
especial fondness for his own children in
the way of food.
When the hunter finds n nest, he car
RES the eggs home TO hatch them, where
he can easily capture the brood if the
eggs are fresh or if the young in them
are not more than five inches long; at
any other stage they will not hatch il re-
moved, md nre OF no talue ctcept for
lie shell: The captured eggs are then
packed IN straw Ms nearly as possible in
the natural way, and the Young may be
thus Matched out very successfully. One
farmer reared sixteen hundred and an
other thousand last season. The young
will cat Immediately after coming ont Of
the shell, but they thrive best if given
no food Tor ut least three months.
The cry of full-grown gator is not
unlike the believing of bull. except
that 1t is of more volume, since the voice
OF amale ran, on calm day, I've heard II
distance of five miles; and they pay be
said to he worshipers, since they sci.
dom ''resolye themselves into song "
save at the rising Of the sun: in fact the
only exception to this morning melody is
when a storm is approaching. The aver
age Florida "cracker' needs no other
barometer than the alligator in the neigh
boring creek or swamp.
One ceases to he astonished Mt the vol.
ume of sound which comes from these
monsters when he secs a full grown one
put forth all his strength to produce the
effect. He stretches his body to its full
length, inhaling sufficient air tot puff him
up nearly twice his natural size; then,
holding his breath, rs it were for an in
slant, he raises both head and tail until
lie forms the segment Of a circle. When
all Is thus complete, the "roar' comes
with sufficient force to startle one, even
though he be prepared for it.
Since, Ill order to guard his head, the
alligator is obliged to turn his body
somewhat, and since, when his jaws are
once closed he is unable to open them if
only moderate amount Of strength on
the part of man is used, the hunter Sc.
lects this point for attack when it is pos
sible for him to steal upon his game un-
| awares.
II the intending captor gets firm hold
upon the jaws of his game in this way,
the monster becomes reasonably easy
prey; one rope soon secures bis jaws an
other is tied around his neck and fast
cned to tree, while third secures his
tail in the same way, thus stretching the
captive in straight line; his fore paws
are tied over his back, Il stout pole is
lashed from the end of his snout to the
tip Of his tail. and the alligator is help.
less.
1T is seldom, however, that the hunter
gets his game at n disadvantage, and tc
secure him alive he must set about tn,
work much as boys do when they snare
rabbits. A tall, stout sapling near the
waters edge is the first requisite, and
directly i'll front of that, in the water, Il
narrow lane or pen is made with stakes,
the two outer ones being notchcd, as is
the spindle of a box-trap. At the end of
this pen, and nearer the shore, a stake is
driven into the mud, and on the top of it
is fastened piece of tainted beef. A
stout rope, Mt one end of which is large
moose, is fastened to the top of the sap
ling, and TO the upper part of the moose
is attached cross-bar, or trigger, which,
when the tree is bent, catches in the
notches on the outer stakes Just below
the surface of the water, the moose hang
ing around the entire opening. To gel
at the meat the alligator attempts to
swim under the bar, but his back dis
places the trigger, and he is captive,
with the rope fastened just back of his
fore legs.
1t is necessary to bind the captive
while he is in the water, and then to
carry him to the shore in a boat; for,
amphibious as he is, he can be drowned
f dragged even short distance througl
the water. When once properly secured
and on land, the alligator can do nothing
in the hope Of effecting release, save t'
roll over, and this he does by might,
effort with his shoulders, frequent,
working himself over a quarter of mil,
in distance in q single night.
Those who are most familiar with tn,
habits of the alligator, as seen in tn,
Southern States, believe his partialit,
for decayed food does not arise from an,
particular flavor it may possess, but sim
ply because in putrid state any larg
amount of flesh is more easily torn apar
and masticated than when fresh. AL
though the epossessor of so much ivory il
the shape of teeth, and able to use hi
Jaws with so much power, it is an ex
tremely difficult matter for an alligato
to dismember pig, even after the hesl
is decayed.
While the meat is yet firm and tn
muscles intact, it is an impossibility 70
him to do other than swallow it nearl,
whole. as he sometimes does when inter
rupted shortly after he has killed hi
prey. That alligators do like fresh foo'
when it is possible for them to eat it j
shown by the fact that fresh fish AM
small turtles are their favorite diet. i
the stomach of twelve-foot alligato
there have been found six catfish, non
, Of them mutilated, weighing altogethe
thirty-four pounds
If one believes implicitly the positiv
assertion of the alligator hunters, h
= must perforce say no man knows th
s pan OF life allotted these saurians. Th
r native Floridian, as well as the hunter
l will insist that the largest of the gator
D are more than ahundred years old, poin
n ing to the fact Of his slow growth
y proof of the assertion. A newly -hatcho
t alligator is eleven inches long; at the az
, Of six years he is very slim and but thrl
feet in length; at ten years Of age he hi