The Portland daily press., 1890-12-05
A BUSINESS IN ALL,cAroRs.
The Chief Differences between that
Beast and the BIG Crocodile.

| 1iarper'S Weekly.l
To gain ones daily bread by means of
alligators must be at all times a fairly
precarious method of existence, and yet
| the colored man of Florida does manage
to pick up many an honest penny by
means of the American saurian. The
taxidermist finds, too, in the alligator
his opportunity; and though a ten foot
gator never can be very desirable, even
when stuffed, little gators properly pre-
pared and mounted are in good demand,
and are brought home in quantity by
the northern tourist.
We need not find fault with nature.
and tax her with having sighted MS in
the crocodileans. If in India there is
the gavial, in Egypt there is the croco-
die, and in America the alligator and
the cayman. 1t can hardly be questioned
but that we have on this continent both
the crocodile and the alligator. The
main point of difference, according to
Mr. Hornaday, between the crocodile
and the alligator is as follows: ga croco-
die is distinguished by Il triangular
head, Of which the snout is the apex. a
narrow muzzle and canine teeth in the
lower jaw, which pass freely upward in
the notches in the side of the upper;
whereas the alligator (also cayman or
sacare) has broad, fiat muzzle, and the
canine teeth of the lower Jaw fit into
sockets in the under surface of the upper
jaw"
The business of collecting the skins of
alligators has already somewhat dilnin-
ished the quantity Of these saurians in
certain parts of Florida, but they are
still to be found in large numbers fur
Their inland. 1t is barely supposable that
alligators ever will become extinct in
Florida while those vast interior lakes
and swamps exist. A visit paid by
naturalist to Florida was convincing
that alligators We're still very abundant
TO kill an alligator, however, is by no
means as difficult as to secure him.
The gators bask in the sun ON the long
stretches of sand, but they are never
quite asleep. They always seem to be
on their guard, and repose never very
far from the water. with their heads
pointing in the direction of flight.
Gathering eggs requires some skill, be-
cause the saurian mother has clever
way of hiding her trail. Sometimes as
many as forty eggs are found in nest
a few inches below the level. 1t is not
the invariable habit of the mother to
pack. into the nest decayed vegetable
matter in order to add to the heat. Gen.
orally the warmth of the sun is suffi-
Gent.
The eggs have a slight musky flavor,
and an experiment once made with an
omelette of alligator eggs suffices. To
eat gator is unknown, and endeavors in
this direction have never been repeated.
Mr.. Hornaday tells, however, of having
eaten the South American variety, where
the feed was fish, and declares ''that the
flesh was white, tender, free from all
disagreeable musky odors and toothsome
as the incest roast veal"
1t is with due consideration of the
size of the alligator as to whether you
will take seat on him or not. His jaws
are not so much to be dreaded as q lash
of his tail.
Ky, massa! you no wantee fres' gator
dis mornln'!' is about the cry of the
vcnder of baby alligators in Jacksonville
as he plunges his hand into bucket
swung on one arm and hauls out little,
ugly, squirming, swapping monster.
These little gators may have been found
by their owner just emerging from their
nests, or he may have secured them as
eggs and Matched them out himself. The
infant saurians show their natural in
stinct early and will bite at once
An alligator is queer pet, and to
tame an adult seems to be quite impos-
sible. If intelligence is proportional to
bulk of brain that of the alligator is es-
pecially small. In dissecting large sized
alligator the brain substance will barely
fill an egg cup. We are not to look
upon gator as capable of any attach
ments. When young (after having had
some of their teeth drawn) they are &C.
casionally seen about houses,