The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-28
ALLIoAToRs AND oRoooDlLEs.
They Are Not Nearly So Big Now as They
Mnrf In lllhnn nnNa.

ALLIGR OHS AND OhOCODlLEo'
They Are Not Nearly So Big Now as They
Were In OIdcn Days.
"Did You ever see an alligator cntch
flies?" asked naturalist of Star
writer. 81 have watched the perform
nncc by the hour. The saurian lies on
muddy bank in the sun, with its
mouth wide open. Winged insects, at
tracted by the saliva of the beast, gather
in swarns upon it's tongue, just as
though it were sheet of fly paper.
When sufficient number has collected
IL closes its jaws suddenly, and with
gulp the lit tie torments have disap-
peared, affording at once revenge and
an greeable flavor. You have often
heard, dare say, of the little bird that
enters the mouth of the crocodile with
out fear, in order to pluck therefrom
certain parasites which the reptiles
could not otherwise get rid OF. This is
a fact, although it failed TO be recog-
nized as su ch by science for a long time.
"On many occasions have had OPP
portunities of observing alligators In
pursuit of prey. They will eat meat in
any shape, from water fowl to fishes.
Sometimes they moor themselves by
their tails to the shore, mouths agape,
and silently absorb shoals of mullet and
other comparatively small fry which
pass along thro ugh the shadows. But
a 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 nos e are above the surface. Thus
they are able to breathe and to see at
the same time without exposing them
selves to any extent. A snap, and all
is over with the victim.
perhaps l have seemed to confuse
the alligator 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 distinguished
from the latter by difference in the
shape of the head. Alligators have
been found in rivers and estuarics as
far north as North Carolina, though not
within recent years. For long time
| past hunters have sought them so per-
sistently and have slain them so recll-
lessly that they are rapidly becoming
extinct. At present their numbers in
| Florida and on the gulf coast are few.
In the uneXplored everglades and other
| great swamps of those regions they still!
| survive in numbers, awaiting the crack
| of the sportsman's rifle to announce
their demise, preliminary to sending
| their hides and teeth to northern mar
| kets.
I'm times past and to this day, ac-
cording 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 ap
proaches they imbed themselves in
the mud of the sha lows, where they
hibernate and lie dormant unit
spring. They breed in April and May
when the female seeks shelter ed spot
on n bank and constructs small mound
of mud and other material, in which
she deposits her eggs, to the number ol
! 100 or 200. First she lays upon the
ground stratum of mud and grass, or
which she deposits q layer of eggs; or
this she places another stratum of grass
and mud, then more eggs, and so on
The eggs are Matched by the sun, as
sisted by the heat, which the decom
| posing vegetables materially generates
AS soon as they are Matched the infan
alligators scramble for the water.
alligator leather is becoming dearel
nowadays on account of the increasing
rarity of the animals. Good hides arr
worth $40 each. The teeth are of an eX
cellent quality of ivory, from which
trinlets are carved. OF late there ha,
arrived fashion of making the skin o
the feet, with the claws attached, int
pocketbools and hand satchels. The
leather has the great advantage of be
ing absolutely waterproof. From glands
in the lower jaw musk is obtained
1t is not of very good quality, but il
serves rs II basis for certain perfumes
Oil obtained from the fat is supposed tt
have medical qualities. Hundreds o
thousands of years ago there were Gro
codiles which measured as much as fft,
feet in length, but there are no sucl
giants Isl these days" - Washington
| Star.