Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-06-03
WAYSOF ALLIGATORS
TIE SAURlsN AT CLOSE RANGE IN
HIS FLORIDA HOME.

How the Female Lays Her Eggs and Cares
For EoT YoUnc-A Mother VIII Fight
An5thin. That Th-en.ens Her Babies.
Diet and Ju1urIes Of iIligators.
One Of the sights most eagerly watch
ed for by the newly arrived Florida Wis.,
itor, as he glides over the lakes and
rivers of that genial land, Is the alliga-
tor A few years ago this desire was
easily gratified, but the great saurian is
comparatively rare nowadays along the
older routes of travel. This is due partly
10 the bullets Of the visitors and partly
10 the shots and traps Of the more legit-
imate alligator hunter, who finds in
that pursuit the chief means Of support
for himself and his family.
It is in the dense fastnesses Of the IN
land swamps and everglades that alli-
gators may he seen IN great numbers on
bright day, basking In the sunshine.
They are gregarious and love to assem-
BILE in such places, where they bring
their two rows Of strong teeth together
with Il prodigious clatter and roar with
q noise that resembles thunder.
The female makes her nest in the sand
neGc the waters edge, scraping u hole
with her paws and dropping the eggs in
Il regular layer. Then she scrapes grass.
leaves, mad ard sand over them, on
these places another layer, and SO con-
tinues alternate layers until the nest
contains from 80 to 40 eggs. AS tie hole
Is rarely deep enough to hold all these,
the result is decided mound easily de-
tected by the experienced hunter, who
finds ready sale for the eggs as curiesi-
ties They are white, hard shelled and
rather larger than IA hens egg. If he
prefers to await their Matching, he Sc
cures fine los Of little alligators, fer
which also there is always ready sale.
While she thus leaves her prospective
children to the doubtful guardianship
of the earth, the mother does not desert
them. Patiently she keeps watch over
the nest III which they lie, never allow
ing that mound Of sand to be long cut
Of her sight. How sho knows exactly
wheri the little folk are ready, like the
emancipated chicken, TO step out Of their
shells and take their first peep ut the
world, who shall say?- But, all the same,
it is fact that, however far atield her
excursions may previously have beer.
the day and the hour Of that happy
event in her family circle find her ON
the spot ready tn gather the little ones
under her wing, as it Were, and lead
them TO their future home in the water
that lies before them.
This watchful care the mother con-
tinucs until hcr babies arc old enough to
forage for themselves and their scales
are firm enough to enable them to dis
pense with her protection. The extent
TO which the young alligators or croco-
diles require this watchfUl care can
hardly be realized by those that are no;
familiar with their habits, for the little
ones are terribly persccEted by birds and
beasts and even by thcir kinsmcn, the
bull alligators. which sometimes eat a
dozen or two Cf their own children at a
meal. Tie mother On such occasions
has been known to turn and fight the
unnatural monsters with such f1.ry as to
put them to fight 1t is not only the
bull alligator that she Will attack when
alarmed Il for the safety Of her young-she
often holds the most experienced hunt
time to flee to e place Of safety.
The sight presented ty Tie mother,
surrounded and followed Iy IL whole
brood Of her little CGCs, Is g pleasing
one, bat let an cI;emy Genre III view and
the scene ceases TO lie pleasant. In the
twirkling of an eye the littic.oncs dasl,
away into the mysterious shadows, and
the placid mother bccorles transformed
into a raging fury, fairly charming TIE
quiet waters into waves i'll her mad rush
to do battle with the intruders. without
this incentive Of maternal affection,
however, it is but seldom that an alli-
gator or crocodile attacks Il human be-
ing
The lower animals are less fortunate.
Cattle i'll the FIR south, where the open
ranges and shallow waters extend
tempting invitation to roam, are some
times seen with shortened tails, an ab-
breviation for which the willy alligator
is responsible. Pigs roofing too near the
waters edge and uuoDscryant Of the log
like form lying close at their side are
often caught by lightninglike sweep of
the alligator's formidable tail
BOU tne NiOSG CllCTtSntit u iill tlCDlIS
to an alligator is a nice, plump dog.
The saurian' S peculiar attraction toward
this animal is so well known to hunters
that they frequently initiate the yelp of
a dog to entice their prey within range,
and the call never fails Of its purpose.
The squeal Of a pig is almost as effec-
tive
These dainty bits, however, are rath-
er III the line Of luxuries. For Il steady,
everyday diet the alligator depends up
on fish, and it haunts those localities in
rivers or lakes where its natural prey
most abounds. 1t catches the fish by
diving swiftly under Il passing shoal
and snatching two or three in its open
jaws as it passes through the shoal.
Then, rising to the surface, it tosses
them i'll the air, for the purpose of eject
ing the water that has entered its mouth
along with the fish, and adroitly catches
them in their descent Harcourt
in Philadelphia Times.
Latitude of Tint.