The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-01
A BUSINESS IN ALLIGATORS.

xne CnleI Dfucrence9 BeFWeen 1h9t
Beast and the Big Crocodile.
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
taxiderrnist 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 slighted US 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
MIR. Hornaday, between the crocodile
and the alligator is as follows: "a croco-
die is distinguished by 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, fat 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 dimin-
ished the quantity of these saurians In
certain parts of Florida, but they are
still TO be found in large numbers fur
ther 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 were 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 fight.
Gathering eggs requires some skill, be-
cause the saurian mother has a clever
way Of hiding her trail Sometimes as
many as forty eggs are found in a nest
q 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-
cient.
The eggs have slight musky flavor,
and an experiment once made with an
omelette of alligator eggs sufices. To
eat gator is unknown, and endeavors in
this direction nave never been repeated.
Mr.. Hornadsy 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
dissgreeable 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 a seat on him or not His jaws
are not so much to be- dreaded as a lash
Of his tail
ky, massai you no wantee tres' gator
dis mornin" is about the cry Of the
vender Of baby alhgators in jacksonville
as he plunges his hand into a bucket
swung on one arm and hauls oct little.
ugly. sGuir-ling, swapping monster.
These little 'Sz:5.s I1ay have been found
by their owEs- ius. emerging from their
nests- or be rssy aars secured them as
eggs and hs-ce,d them ca: himself The
infant szur.sns SLOW their natural in
stinct early and VIII oi;s az once.
An alligator Is queer pet. and 30 |
tame an sduis seeks ic be quite impos-
sihie II int-ilis.zee Is proportioned 70
bulk Of brain i4St 81 tie alligator u e.
pecsaIy small II Gssz.rt:.g large size5 !
the 5-tls .,zs,~i ance VIII barely !
I'll an egg eSD We a-s not 70 LOOK !
upon gator as czpahls Of any attach .
meutA Nh-n yoaaS fzfter having had !
some Of taei- tessa 1=awEl thew Nrs oc-
casionAllJ sess Z-o=: hcuses
Philadeipbia has = plucky s-zirn-asF In |
the person Of u. N Barringsr. a yoang I
society mEa," who is credited with haE
ing rseeaf!y brr=stee the waves % the 4
Delaware river f.r me hour and afieen 1
MINUTES without re- lie swEr1 twenty /
miles Azd Ma s:li 20 fresh that nIs frs@aEls
we're obliged % assist zpon his leaving ths 1
-sesr a. - -