The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-07-10
WAYS0F ALLIGAT0RS
rHu sAuniAN AT CLOSE RANGs ~
hls FLORIDA HONE.

How the Female Isys TIER Eggs sid Gaze
For Her Young a Mother VIII Flgh
! Anything THAT Threatens Her Babies
Diet and LuHurles Of Aiiigators
One Of the sights most eagerly watch
cd for by the newly arrived Florida Wis
itor. as he glides over the lakes ano
rivers of that genial land. is the alliga
tor. A few years ago this desire wa.
easily gratified, but the great saurian l.
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 moro legit-
imate alligator hunter who finds IN
that pursuit the chief means Of support
for himself and his family.
1t is in the dense fosiucssCs Of the in
land swamps and everglades that ALI
gators may be seen in great numbers on
bright day, baslling i'm the sunshine.
They are grcgarious and love TO assem-
bic in such places. where they bring
their two rows of strong teeth together
with a prodigious CHATTER and roar with
a noise that resembles thunder
The femalemall her nest in the sand
near the waters edge scraping hole
with her paws ana dropping the eggs in
a regular layer Phcn she scrapcs grass,
| leaves, mud and sand over them, on
these places another layer, and SO con-
tinues alternate layers until the nest
contains from 30 20 40 eggs. As the hole
is rarely deep enough TO hold all these,
the result is a decided mound easily de-
tcctcd by the experienced hunter, who
finds ready sale for the eggs as cJrlosi-
ties they are white, hard shelled and
rather larger than hons egg. II he
| prefers Co await their Matching, he SCI
cures Il fine lot Of little allicotos, for
which also there is always a ready sale.
While she thus leaves her prospective
children TO the doubtful guardianship
of the earth, the mother docs not desert
them. Patiently she keeps watch over
the nest in which they lie, never allow
ing that mound Of sand TO be long out
of her sight How she knows exactly
whGn the little folk are ready, like the
emancipatrd chicken, to step out of their
shells and take their first peep at the
world, who shall say? But, all the same
il is Il fact that, however far afield her
excursions may previously have been,
the day and the hour of that happy
event in her family circle find her ON
the spot ready to 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 her babies are old enough to
forage for themselves and their scales
are firm enough 60 enable them 10 dis
penSe with her protection. The extent
TO which the young alligators or croco-
dies require this watchful care can
hardly be realized by those that are not
familiar with their habits, for the little
ones are terribly prosecuted by birds and
beasts and even 10y their kinsmon the
bull alligators, which sometimes eat u
dozen or two of their own children at a
meal. The mother on such occasions
has been known TO turn and fight the
unnatural monsters with such fr,ly as 10
put them 10 flight 1t is not only the
bull alligator that she viii attack when
alarmed for 5he safety Of her youug--shc
often holds'the most experienced hunt
ers at bay until her little charges have
time to fee 10 place Of safety,
The sight presented by the mother,
surrounded and followed by a whole
brood Of hcr little ones, is pleasing
one, but let an enemy come in view and
the scene ceases 20 be pleasant. In the
twinkng of an eye the little ones dash
| away into the mysterious shadows, and
the place mother becomes transformed
into raging fury, fairly churning the
quiet waters intowavcs in her mad rush
10 do baltic with the intrudcrs. Without
this iEcoutiye Of maternal affection,
however, it is but seldom that I'm ALI
gator or crocodile attacks human be-
ing.
The lower animals are less fortunate.
Cattle in the far south, where the open
ranges and shallow waters extend q
tempting invitation to roam, are some
times seen with shortened tails, an alb
brcviation for which the willy alligator
is responsible. Pigs roofing toonear the
waters edge and unobscrvant Of the log
like form lying close at their side aro
often caught, bya lighmingliko sweep Of
the alligator's formia bic tail
But the most che ned Of all tidbits
20 AN alligator is nice, plump dog.
The saurian speculiar attraction toward
this animal is so well known TO hunters
that they frequently initiate the yolp Of
a dog to entice their prey within range,
and the call never fails Of its purpose.
The squoal of II pig is almost as eilec-
tive.
These dainty bits, however, are rath-
er in the line of luxurics. For a steady.
everyday diet the alligator depends up.
on fish, and il haunts those localities in
rivers or lakes where its natural prey
most abounds. 1t catches the fish by
diving swiftly under passing shoal
and snatching two or three in its open
jaws as it passes through the shoal.
! Then, rising TO the surface, it losses
them in the air, for the purpose of eject.
ing the water that has entered its mouth
along with the fish, aud adroitly catches
| them in their descent. Helen Harcourt
in Philadelphia Times.