The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-05-27
ALLIGATOR DIFFERENTIATION.
Steady Decrease of the Monster Of FIorid,
Waters.


The alligator is slowly being exterminated
in all Florida north of Lake Monroe, writes
a correspondent of the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Those who wish the excitement of hunt
ing this monster will have to hurry up, for
soon he will retire to the everglades. Now
the hunter can leave Sanford and by ride
on the South Florida Railroad reach Tampa
in six hours. Then take the steamer
Margaret, reach Manatu River in five hours.
Here the alligator still lives.
In the morning we started up the Manatu
River in the little steam yacht Alice, which
Mr.. W. s. Warren, the genial magnate of
the place, kindly placed at our disposal,
with pleasant young man for pilot, Mr.
Frank Cooper, who had lived all his life on
the river and knew ever corner of it. As
we steamed up the Manatu we soon grew
enthusiastic. 1t is one of the finest in
Florida; nearly mile wide, its low, green
shores edged with beach of snow white sand
are very lovely. On each side are little
villages with white cottages, and between
them two more pretentious mansions of
Northern gentlemen, who have built them
for winter homes. Harry was in the pilot
house on the watch for alligators. DIR.
Lord was holding line with a trolling
hook, and | was enjoying myself watching
the eager. expectant faces of both, when
suddenly as we steamed around point in
the river the pilot announced "a gator on
the Left I saw Harry raise his gun rapid
ly, with a sort of tremble in his arm. l
knew he had slight touch of "'gator
fever" similar to buck fever "Where
is he 2n he said, quietly. Don't you see
that little black knob just upon the surface
of the water ?" said the pilot. Sometimes q
second smaller knob is seen just in front of
the large one. The first is the gators eye,
the second is the tip of his nose. The large
one does not project above the water more
than an inch or two, and the small one is
Just perceptible and this is all you see to
shoot at, and all that is necessary if you are
n good shot, for the alligator's eye, like the
heel of Achilles, is his one vulnerable spot
ball striking almost any other portion of
his body chances off or fattens as it would
on steel plate. The alligator's brain is
small-a thin slice at the top of his head
Just over his eyes-a mere extention of the
medulla, and you have got to send q bullet
through this thin layer of brain or you dc
not kill him. 1t was with difficulty that
we could see the creatures eye, but Harry
thought he did, and blazed away. Owing,
however, to his excitement the ball struck
the water just below the eye, and threw up
a shower of spray. The reptile, as
imagined, gave one surprised look and
slowly sunk out of sight. This they will
nearly always do, even if they are killed, SC
that it is very difficult to get your game
after he is fatally injured.
Mr.. Warren informed me that when the
shot is fatal in shallow water or on shore,
the alligator will slowly lift his arm and
wave his paw as if he said, I've got
enough, thank you" At the sight of this
gator my old hunting instinct revived, and
seizing Cooper's Winchester rife l got into
the pilot house, determined to try my luck.
/ had not long to wait, for at the next
moment saw the black knob protruding
above the water. The pilot gave the signal
to " slow little" and aiming few inches
in front OF do eyes I pulled the trigger.
There was great splash something fuzzy
just above the surface of the water where
the eye had been and an eddy and flirt Of
a black scaly tail that was all. "a good,
lively shot," said Cooper, who is considered
the best shot ON the river, But you only
raised the hair on the scalp" After that
we saw plenty of saurians as the river be-
came shallower and narrower. They were
all sizes, from the infant in arms of o
foot long to the " old patriarchs of twelve
or fourteen feet but we were unable to get
one up; for, although we doubtless killed
several, they sunk to the bottom in the
brown water, where we could not see them
Or foated down the stream, and we had no
pole with hook and harpoon on the end,
without which it is impossible to find and
bring them to the surface.