The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-28
HUNTING GATORS
New Specimens From
Eastern Waters in the
Museum.

Curator Brimley tells of some inter
esting experience during his recent
collecting trip in the eastern waters.
a large alligator for the Museum and
brought back with him fine speci-
men over nine feet long. This was
Killed in Great Lake, Craven county
but after an exciting chase that be-
came strenuous at times. 1T was shot
while Nh Brimley was wading out in
the lake, waist deep, and about a
hundred yards from shore. The first
shot wounded the animal and then for
nearly two hours Mr.. Brmley follow
cd it around, putting in other shots
as chance was given to reach a Vul-
nerable spot. Sometimes the alliga-
tor came up within twenty feet of the
hunter and almost splashed the water
in his face as he dashed his powerful
tail around. At other times only one
foot would come up or perhaps just
the curve Of the back would be seen,
but occasionally the would come up
clear In all. four shots were put into
the head of the alligator, all taking eff
feet, but to what extent it was injured
could not be ascertained then. Fin
ally it ceased coming to the top and
the rather ticklish task of feeling for
him with the feet-the dark coffee
color of the water rendering it semi
opaque-had to be carried out. The
fact that he had apparently ceased
coming up was no proof that he was
dead, and the great possibilities of
those huge jaws and powerful tail
made the business one of nervous per-
Torrance. Mr.. Brimley says that the
sensation of feeling for supposedly
dead, but possibly very much alive,
alligator with the feet, in waist deep
water that cannot be seen through. is
rather creepy and liable to give one
the jumps, when the feet touch some
thing. In this case, however, the alli-
gator was dead and his body soon
found and brought ashore, when it
was seen that the little expanding
bullets, fired from a .25-35 Winches-
ter, had done terrific execution, hole
having been broken through the hard,
thick bones of the back of the head
as large as a mans fist. The gator
was first carefully measured and then
skinned on the spot, and the skin is
now in a preservative solution in the
Museum work room preparatory to
being mounted.
Several other gators were seen and
shot at on this trip, but no more Sc
cured. The grandfather Of all the
way to remind him that he, too, was
needed. Curator Brimley says that he
will never be content until this
monster also adorns the Museum col
lections and that he even now bears
the Museum ear-mark. One was
photographed no less than three times,
once al distance of less than twenty
five feet, the operator being at the
time above his middle in the water.
Il H.,
being another of those creepy sensa-
tons when 4 gator. heading straight
towards the man with the camera and
without gun, sinks below the sur
face as though he meant business.
when less than thirty feet away. But.
luckily for somebody, all of them
seemed to prefer cormorants to Cura-
tors Cor steady diet.
Other Specimens
A number OF other good specimens
were collected for the Museum, in
Guiding couple of cotton mouth
mcccasins, the only poisonous snakes
seen. The cormorant rookery on
Great Lake is an interesting place too.
Mr.. Brimley says that there are prob
ably hundred and fifty nests in the
colony and that, if each nest averages
three young and two old birds. the
tptdi pcpuidLlcll u TIE COLONY WOULD
be Gevcn hundred and fifty of these
great birds. II was moving sight to
see and hear these "Nigger Geese" at
home and volume might be written
on the subject. Among them were
nesting several species of heron, and
three or four pairs of OSpreys, the
nests of some Of the latter being bulky
enough to fill the body of an ordinary
cart. Twelve of these bulky dwell
iings were counted along stretch of
shore line not more than about three
E1lleS in length. The allgators hang
around the COrmOrant rookery and
pick UP any young ones in the water
at which they get >ood chance, the
young ones often falling from the
nests. If an alligator does not get one
very soon after falling, however. the
young bird soon climbs back up the
tree again. using its sharp claws and
bill in making the ascent. One was
seen to go down an alligator's throat
much as person would swallow q
capsule, and a cormorant is not such
Il small bird either.