The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-01-03
ALLIGATORS AT HOME.
Clumsy on Land, but Able Adversaries In
the Wafer.

Clumsy on Land, but Able Adversaries In
the Water.
If an alligator meets you on land he
is at your mercy. If you meet him on
the water the conditions are reversed.
On land he is an awkward fellow His
hippers are not made for walking,
and he goes along through persever-
ance and endurance. In moving on
land he lifts his body up, but drags his
tail on the ground, making trail as
though with a stick. An alligator's
tail is his weapon of defence, and it is
good one. If the gator is an old one,
from ten to sixteen feet, his tail will be
from five to eight feet. 1t is nearly as
large as the body back of the hind legs
and gradually tapering to a point.
This he can bring around with such
force as to break mans legs, He will
lie by the side of lake, apparently
asleep, but if calf ventures too near
the gator will switch around his tail
and break the animals legs and dine
on veal at his pleasure.
One singular thing about an alliga-
tors trailing on land is that NO matter
at what point of the &C hpass the next
lake is located, when e starts he takes
the shortest cut; a 9 -rveyor could not
make more direct air line. One night
my dog barl1ed for two hours, and at
times he was very feroeious. The next
morning, on an investigation, | found
the trail of large alligator through
my orange grove. He had stopped half
a dozen times and had some sort of dis
eusslon with the dog. When he got to
Jne 'front.' fsrl.ps. fls--t---l-------.a.-e do
together he could not get through, so
he climbed over, using his, big tail as. a
sort of boost.
In Ar.m and May the males make a
great noise. believing like bull. In
the latter part of May they make a.
nest, selecting a quiet place on the
banks of a lake or river. 1t will be
two or three feet long, built of sticks
grass and sand. The female lays from
twenty-six to thirty-two eggs. They
are as big around as a hens egg and
nearly twice as long. Boys hunt the
eggs and sell them to the curio stores,
where they are either Matched or blown
out.
While the alligator is clumsy and
awkward on land, he is very graceful
and swift in the water. He is monarch
of the inland waters. My house is about
two hundred feet from the lake and
twenty feet above it. From my gallery
with field glass l can watch their
every movement, and it is very inter
esting to see how gracefully they rise
sink. turn, or swim at full speed after
a trout.
l had a colored boy about twelve
years old, we call yard boy" He did
all kinds of chores. He would at times
go down to the boat house when there.
was not a sign of an alligator on the
lake, and with hoe splash the water
and bark like dog. Presently two or
three pairs of eyes would be seen just
above the water. Their eyes are very
prominent, sitting, or perhaps | should
say iutting, out from their heads AS
the boy barked and splashed the water
they would come nearer and nearer,
and show more of their bodies. When
they got within fifteen or twenty feet,
the boy would drop the hoe and run up
hill as though tribe of Indians were.
after him. The negroes have an idea
that an alligator prefers black man
to white one, and they say gator
will swim all around white men if there
is negro in the crowd. The negroes
took upon the gator as natural enemy
The alligator is not only a graceful
swimmer, but he is "a powerful and
wicked assailant in water. The great
est danger is from their capsizing the
boat, when they will grasp person by
the leg and sink Immediately, leaving
no escape from drowning. Within Il
radius of four miles from Keulza, Fla,
there are forty-ope lakes, and this vi
cinity has afforded rare sport for those
who delight to get a crack at such
game. They are pretty well thinned
out now and there are not so many
making business of hunting them for
their hides There was time when a
good-sized hide would fetch ten dollars
to fourteen dollars, but now they do not
bring more than one dollar and two
| dollars. But some hunters make good
wages.-Denver Republican.