The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-09-14
ALLIGATOR AN ECONOMICAL PET.
Even a Big One Can Live on Flies
and Such Trifles.

Even a Big One Can Live on Flies
and Such Trifles.
The 9 foot alligator at the Aquarium
is little of its feed. AS matter Of
fact, it has not eaten anything, so far
as is known, for six months, and all it
has eaten since July, 1904, is eight her
ring weighing about a pound and
half apiece and live rat.
At frequent intervals in the course
of the six months just past it has been
tempted with food such as it would
be likely to fancy, but it has uniformly
declined it. And yet this alligator is
far from emaciated; indeed, it is fat
about the jaws and neck, and appears
10 be in good condition.
Why, that's nothing" said visitor
at the Aquarium the other day who in
response to some inquiries had learned
about its long, abstinence from food.
1--we been to,d\that allige,.ors will go
without eating for year. Let me tell
you about an alligator that l knew Of
once that went without eating for six
months, or that ate so little it wasn't
enough to count.
For years I've spent my winters in
Flcrida, on the east coast, and one
winter when | was down there like
that, when the swamps all round in
the region in which l stayed were all
very dry, this alligator that speak of,
which was a big fellow, IA or Is feet
long I should think, though we never
cared to go near enough to it to meas
Nre it, came out on the land and stayed
there, sort Of dormant, all winter and
longer, six months altogether, and in
that time never moved fifty feet.
'Eow do I know it never went back
into the water? I don't know that alb
solutely of my own knowledge, but I
am satisfied in my mind, from all the
indications, after it first came out,
more than fifty feet on the land, IS l
have told you. And know that birds
built their nests on this alligator's back
and hatched out their young there.
"And all this tine that the big alli-
gator was lying there pretty much all
it had to eat was fiss and snakes.
There is said to be something about
the odor or something of an alEga-
tors open mouth that attracts flies;
and this alligator lying there would
throw back its upper jaw like great
trapdoor and keep it up like that for
quite while, and about million flies
would light inside it's mouth, and then
suddenly the big gator would cast OF
the catch that held its jaw up. some
where, and down it would drop and
catch a million flies. But what's
million flies to q fifteen foot alligator?
"And sometimes it would catch a
snake. A snake would go sliding past
and that alligator would swing its
head round and grab it. But what's
an occasional snake to al alligator OF
that size?
"And we thought-that is, friend
of mine living there and myzelf-that
we'd give the alligator something to
eat. And we did give it one chicken.
"But not by hand. We gave it to
him from a safe distance, and yet IN a
manner that was simple and easy. We
tied it in the middle of cord about
thirty feet long, of which my friend
held one end and the other, and hold
ing the chicken in that way we brought
it down close to the alligator's jaws
and the alligator snapped it and
seemed to enjoy it.
But what are few million flies
and a few snakes and one chicken to
a fifteen foot alligator in six months?
Practically nothing And yet that alli-
gator looked at the end Of that time
Just as we'll as this alligator does here;
and I've no doubt it would have gone
back into the water again in due time
and started active life and hearty eat
ing again, and just as well as ever,
though it hadn't eaten anything for
six months.
But I wanted a good alligator bag
and 1 knew could get good one out
of the hide Of this gator. So 1 shot
the big alligator finally and had its
skin taken off and picked end sent
North, and had it tanned and had this
bag made out of it,
And the visitor held the bag up to
view as he spoke.-New York Sun.
Aliens in London's West End.