Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-26
ALLI0ATORs AND CROCODILEs.
Some Truths About the Biggest Reptil
Which Grow In the United States.

Some Truths About the Biggest Reptiles
Which Grow In the United States.
ssnID YOU EVER SEE AN ALLIGATOR
Dcatch aies?' asked naturalist of STAR
writer. Il have watched the performance by
the hour. The saurian lies on muddy bank
in the sun, with his mouth wide open. Winged
insects. attracted by the saliva of the beast,
gather in swarms upon its tongue, just as
though it were a sheet Of fly paper. When a
sufficient number has collected it closes its
jaws suddenly. and with a gulp the little tor
ments have disappeared, affording at once re-
venge and an agreeable flavor. You have often
heard, dare say, of the little bird that enters
the mouth Of the crocodile without fear, in
order to pluck therefrom certain parasites
which the reptiles could not otherwise get rid
of. That is a fact, although it failed to be
recognized as such by science for q long
time.
"On many occasions have had opportuni-
ties OF observing alligators in pursuit of prey.
They will eat meat in any shape, from water
fowl to fishes. Sometimes they moor them
selves by their tails to the shore, with mouths
agape, and silently absorb shoals of mullet and
other comparatively small fry which pass along
through the shadows But q favorite way of
theirs is to lie upon the surface of the water
and quietly gobble any ducks or other animals
that come within reach. Their heads are SO
constructed that when they are thus floating
only their eyes and the tip end of the nose are
above the surface. Thus they are able to
breathe and to see at the same time, without ex-
posing themselves to any extent snap, and
all Is over with the victim.
perhaps have seemed to confuse the alli-
gator and the crocodile. In fact, there are two
kinds of crocodiles in the United States-the
true crocodile and the alligator. The former
Is very rare, indeed, and it can only be distin-
cy1lfa had ha lat t,uo t. L.
shape Of the head. Alligators have been found
in rivers and estuaries far north as North
Carolina, though not within recent years. For
long time past hunters have sought them so
persistently and have slain them so reckIessly
that they are rapidly becoming extinct At
present their numbers in Florida and on the
Gulf coast are few. Iu the unexplored Ever
glades and other great swamps of those regions
they still survive in numbers, awaiting the
crack of the sportsman's rifle to announce their
demise. preliminarily to sending their hides
and teeth to northern markets.
"In times past and to this day. according to
current tradition, alligators have been credited
with being very ferociOus; but the fact seems
to be that they are sluggish and timid. In
South America the natives often wade into the
water where they are and pull them out by the
tails. So it is said, at all events. When winter
approaches. they embed themselves in the mud
o. the shadows, where they hibernate and lie
dormant until spring. They breed in April
and May, when the female seeks q sheltered
spot on o bank and constructs small mound
Of mud and other material. in which she de-
posits her eggs, to the number OF 100 or 200
First she lays upon the ground . stratum Of
mud and grass. on which she deposits a layer
Of eggs; on this she places another stratum of
grass and mud, then more eggs, and SO on.
The eggs are Matched by the sun, assisted by
the heat which the decomposing vegetable ma
terial generates. Az soon as they are Matched
the infant aligators scramble for the water.
Alligator leather is becoming dearer nova
days ON account of the increasing rarity of the
animals. Good hides are worth 80 each The
teeth are Of an excellent quality Of ivory, from
which uinkets are carved. OF late there has
arrived a fashion of making the skin of the feet
with the claws attached. into pocket books and
hand satchels. The leather has the great ad-
vantage Of being absolutely water proof. Prom
glands in the lower jaw musk 10 obtained. 1t
Is not Of very good quality, but it serves a. q
basis for certain perfumes. Oil, obtained from
the fat, is supposed to have medicinal quail
ties. Hundreds Of thousand OF years ago there
we're crocidiles which measured as much as
nifty feet In length, but there are no such giants
In thesa daya"