St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-01-12
BABY. ALLIGATORS.
The Young sanrians Are Hatched out
In Job Lots in steam-Heat-
ed Sand.

Up in the reptile-house of the Bronx
zoo something unique in the way of
Matching of young alligators was on
Express.
The young gators were being turned
out in job lots in a large, glass-inclosed,
steam-heated cage in the northwest
corner of the main reptile-room. The
floor is covered with warm sand, in
which several dozens of alligator eggs
are cuddled. The eggs are about seven
inches long. oblong in shape, and Of a
dingy leathery white color.
About the center of the cage is a
large shallow pan full of water, sunk to
the level of the floor. In and about the
pan are several dozen young alligators,
from six inches up to ten in length.
scrambling about, climbing all over
each other, splashing about in the wa
ter. and seemingly happy and content
ed. The baby gators are bright blue,
green and black spotted in color. In
general color and appearance they look
more like lizards than anything else.
The Matching process is quite inter
esting. Every now and then an egg
will begin to squirm and roll about.
One end works more actively than the
other and swells up like mushroom
head. Then it cracks and spreads out
from the slit, through which a little
long pointed muzzle begins to work
out A lot of energetic wriggling,
which fiops the eggs about in all direc-
tions, sets the youngster free. Out he
pops. and after=a shake or two by some
wonderful instinct of nature. away
scuttles the infant to the pan ofwater,
into which it plunges without any fear.
Alligator, Jr.. splashes about awhile,
and then joins his brothers and sisters,
following the universal alligator habit
of crawling, on top of as many of his
relations as he can and resting his head
on the nearest back.
Mrs. Alligator was not present at the
Matching. alligator experts say that
after she has laid the eggs her part of
the manufacture of young gators is
finished. She pays no more attention
then to them. and confines herself. in
the south. to lying low in the swamps,
waiting for dogs, pigs or tender young
colored infants to wander her way. As
to Alligator pere, those same experts
assert that il there is one thing he
likes better than another it is. young
aligators fresh from the shell, without
any dressing. He is said to swallow
them up by the dozen, and then com
plain because there are no more.
The Bronx zoo is well supplied with
grown-up alligators. They have some
very large ones in the repti1e-house
ponds, which seem to do nothing but
lie on the pond platforms motionless.
What the zoo people intend to do
with the baby alligator output has not
been decided. They are not considered
very valuable asset Possibly any re-
sponsible parties anxious to bring up a
few young alligators as pets. on guar
anteeing kind treat tment. proper school
facilities and sound home training,
may be accommodated and given their
pick of the bunch.
The Ordination OF b Chinese Priest.
A missionary IN China thus de-
scribes the ordination ceremony of a
Bonze fpriestl of which be was a
witness: On the appointed day the
friends and invited guests Of the can
didates assemble in the pagoda where
the ceremony is to take place. The
act Of conservation begins with the
removal of ali the hair from the head
by a close shave. Then, as the eere-
mony progresses. little balls made of
| sulphur. grease and incense are placed
| upon the head and SO fastened as not
| to.roll off. At the proper moment the
| superior completes the act Of conse-
Grafton by setting fire to these balls.
| The candidates are forbidden either