Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-01-14
HABITS OF SAURIANS.
How Alligators and Ganges Crocodile
Satisfy Their Annatite.

How Auigators and Ganges Crocodfies
Satisfy Their Appetite.
Turning to the character and habits
OF these large saurians, we find that in.
formation concerning them is at once
large in quantity, contradictory in ten
or, and very incom plete. The manner
In which accounts present themselves
to the reader of books of travel and de-
scriptive zoology is this: Alllgators do
not eat men or the large animals. but
erocodiles do. They are both man-eat-
ers occasionally When crocodiles wish
to indulge in anthropophagy, their
method is to lie in wait under bank,
and sweep some one into the stream by
blow from the tail. They do nothing
of the sort. 1t is their custom to con-
ceal themselves in holes near ford or
bathing place, and make rush at any
unfortunate who comes within reach
There is no truth whatever in either of
the former statements, as witness
number of persons who have disported
themselves in waters sWarming with
the biggest and ugliest of saurians AS
with regard to these particulars so with
respect to all The animals or one of
balmed, but the writer is not aware that
any one has Systematically observed
their habits. So far however, as at
lacking men goes, the author is person
ally cognzant of two cases in which the
cayman destroyed human beings, and
on this account sees no reason to doubt
those stories of 1nglis, Drummond, etc.,
in which the des tructiveness of Asiatic
and African CrocOdilia is displayed.
Every one knows that large saurians lie
on the mud and sun themselves, and
that unless shot dead. which is difficult
to accomplish, not from any impene ira
bility of their skin defenses, which
rifle-ball will pierce easily, but because
they have great tenaGity of life and
small brains, they invariably manage to
reach the water and die there. Equally
general is the knowledge that they bury
their eggs and leave them to be Matched
by solar heat Also that the trochylus
Tor Charadrius 9gypticus. as it is now
called) attends the crocodile like other
birds do the elephant buffalo, rh-
noceros, ETC., for the sake of their para
sites. upon which they feed, and that
these animals are often warned of the
hunters approach by their cries. Every
mans hand is against such reptiles,
and numbers of enemies destroy their
eggs and young also, SO that as in some
places-as, for example, the waters of
the Gulf States-tneir numbers have
sensibly diminished.
Fish, and small aquatic or semi
aquatic animals, or any creature they
can kill is eaten by crocodiles or alli-
gators and there seems to be little
doubt that they are carrion-eaters by
preference. Reliable observation shows
that dead bodies floating on the streams
they inhabit or contiguous to them are
constantly consumed, and it seems to be
certain that prey killed by themselves
is conn only kept until it putrifes and
the body thus becomes more easily dis
mem bered. The whole character of the
digestive tract indicates that their food
is bolted, and on many occasions the
contents of dead crocodile's stomach
has been found to be as homogeneous as
those of sharks Like all other ami
mails, the Saurians in question become
restless and exc ted in the pairing sea-
son, believing much at this period, and
frequently threatening attack. 1t is
by no means unusual to witness such
demons STATIONS, but there is no record,
SO far as the writer's knowledge goes, of
their having PROCEEDED to eXtremities,
either against armed men on shore or in
boats. DIR. j. FL. Porter, in National
Tribune