Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-11-25
ALLIGATOR MIMICS.
HOW SWAMP RANGERS GALL AND
CAPTURE THE REPTILES.
The Believing Season ana the Fights
of the Unmated Bulls-How Nests
Are Built and EGGS Hatched-Pe.
culiar Habits Of Feeding.

The alligator is rapidly disappearing In
the settled regions of Florida and beoom-
ing scarcer every day even in such remote
regions as the Everglades, owing 70 the
war of determination waged against 1T ~
hide hunters, taxidermists and dealers In
curiosities. These pursue 1t night n day
year in and year out. The little ginger.
lings Just out of tho nest are In great de-.
mand, rs they are worth from ~ to %
per hundred in the local markets. The
1curio'' dealers who purchase them often
resell them at 81 each to northern visitors,
or else they kill and stuff them into card
plates, cigar holders or whatever else their
fancy suggests and dispose OF them at
good prices. The young are frequently
lured from their lurking places by a poor
Imitation of the grunts OF their mother,
and mon expert in mimioking her may
capture u large number in a day, as they
respond promptly to the calls and pour out
Of cavities in hot haste to 500 the caller.
The most expert ''gator callers I ever
know were swamp rangers, both white
and black, who were born and bred within
a short distance of an alligator swamp,
and therefore knew every information OF
tho saurian's voice. These men could make
q matron charge wildly at them across q
broad stream by initiating the frightened
cries of her young or lure q decrepit old
bull by mimicking the grunts Of the fe.
male. They could in fact delude both old
and young and often earned good sums
by their art.
Tho "bellowing season. begins in May
and lasts until the middle of July, and
during that time the minated bulls make
night hideous. In fighting each other they
use jaw and tail with the utmost fury.
They must deliver exceedingly heavy
blows with tho latter, for the sounds can
be heard at q considerable distance. When
one gets q good mouth hold on the other,
it clings like q bulldog, but as the body
mt is generally toothproof, except In
special places, little damage can be done
even in u protraoted conflict.
As tho reptiles can only deliver blows al
objects n little to n side Of the head. 1t II
amusing to see them try to get directly In
front of each other and make circular
sweeps with the tail in the blind hope that
some may prove effective. I have known
them to fight for hours at intervals witt
great fury and have again seen a huge
bull retreat in a most demoralized manner
after receiving q few blows.
When tho female Is ready to lay hel
eggs, she rctires to some secluded wet O.
swampy place and builds out Of mud, de
cayed vegetation and rushes a nest two o
three feet high and having a large, firm
base. If she builds on tidewater, she car
ries her nest farther baok-some year
more than othcrs-as if she knew whel
tides would DO unusually high, and tn,
strangest part Of it is that, as q rule, s'higl
nests and high tides'' go together. Tn
receptacle for the eggs is deep and spaoiou
and we'll made. She lays from 30 to 10
eggs in this, usually in July, GOVERN
them with light, loose material to Civ
tho young when Matched plenty Of room
and makes the upper part solid by beatin
with her head and walking over 1t severa
times to trample it down. She frequentl
walks over it while the eggs are incubat
ing, in order to keep it packed, for If it be
came loose tho rain would enter and pr
vent the eggs from Matching.
It usually takes so days for the youn
to appear, and she evidently knows th
hour they should announce their preseno'
for she keeps passing around the nest th
day when they are expected, becomes ner'
Gus, usually irritable, and SO pugnaoior
that she is ready to fight anything from
mole to a man that approaches her nurser.
On hearing tho young give their first fail
oroak she begins tearing away the GOVERN
with claws and jaws, and on reachir
them give several %endearing grunts, the
proudly leads them to her ave in Il
swamp, stream or lake close by. Fro
that moment forward she must vigilant
watch her progeny to prevent them fro
being destroyed by enemies, for everythi1
that cats flesh seems to prey upon ther
Fishes, snakes, owls, hawks, polecats al
turtles devour them whenever they ca
but their worst foes are the bull alligato,
for they destroy them out Of mere wanto
ness.
One of the peculiarities Of the eggs
an alligator is that they are generally
different shapes, although the ends are {
"a alike. They are about X inches