The Portland daily press., 1898-08-19
ALLIGATORS AT PLAY.
How the Ungainly Creatures Conduct "a
Game of Pyramid.

Game of Pyramid.
Did you ever see the ZOO alligators
play pyramid or any other of their
famous games? They wrestle like old
time Greco Roman boys and strain and
struggle in all sorts of ways at it.
When finally one wins by getting the
other on his back, funnier thing oo-
ours. The victor makes sound like es-
Gaping steam, then the others make
sounds like escaping steam-alligators'
applause, ii you please. Then they all
become still and watch the vanquished
brother squirm to get off of his back
and on to his legs again. If he's longer
in doing it than the gang think is prop
or, they move up in single file and give
him jab with their jaw in his up
turned belly. When finally he gets him.
self righted, all hands again set up the
Steam escaping racket, cheering him
bng and as loud as they did his victor.
Their meaning no fight is shown by
their never hurting each other.
Another of the great midsummer
pastimes of these ZOO alligators is play
ing pyramid. The gators play pyramid
several times day. To see it done
you'd declare that the ugly things had
been trained to it. But no. It's just
one of the ways of the sporty side of
their life. The game comes on by ono
of the bigger alligators uttering the
steam kissing noise. This calls the 9TH
ers to attention. Then the big one says
a line or two of alligator talk and
stretches himself full length in the CEN
ter Of the pen. No sooner is this done
than little bit smaller alligator crawls
on top Of the other and stretches out
lengthwise, but head to- tail with the
other. The second one being settled, be
lets off little steam talk, and third,
a little smaller alligator, climbs up on
top of the second and settles down as
the second did. They keep this up I'M
til six or seven have builded themselves
into as strange and wonderful pyra-
mid as ever an eye beheld. After each
one has settled on top of the other he
lies perfectly motionless, SO that when
the pyramid is completed it appears as
some marvellous carving.
But this effect lasts only about two
minutes after the pyramid is finished.
Then comes a new chapter Of the act
The Sandow gator underneath all starts
to crawling. He heads for up and down
places in the pen, tie game clearly be-
ing to see how long I'LL will take him to
jolt his strange pyramid load to pieces!
And right here develops what appears
to be strict rule Of the game. Say
there are seven in the pyramid, and the
sixth from the bottom jostles off first,
taking, Of course, the seventh one with
him. You'd naturally think the game
done for that sixth and seventh alliga-
tor. But not at all. It seems that the
sixth one is in disgrace for having been
shaken off before the seventh one, who
was top of the heap. Therefore, what
! does the seventh do but cling to the
back of the sixth after they've fallen
off and proceeds to ride Mr.. Alligator
No, 6 around the pen until Mr.. Sandow
Alligator has succeeded in dumping the
whole shooting match. If the fourth is
shaken off before the fifth, the fifth,
like the seventh, proceeds to ride his
disgraced ''next" until Sandow gets rid
Of all his load, and another game is
started. Cincinnati Enquirer. 49,