The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-18
AN ECONOMICAL PET
~ IS THE ALLIGATOR.
Even a Big One Can Live on Flies
and Such Trifles-Then You
Can Make a Bag Of It
IN Conclusion.

The 9 foot alligator at the Aquarium Is
a little of it's feed. As matter OF fact,
it has not eaten anything 30 far as Is known,
for six months, and all it has eaten since
July, 1904, is eight herring weighing about
a pound and a half apiece and a 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 APP
pears TO be in good condition
why, that's nothing said visitor at
the Aquarium the other day who in re-
Spouse to some inquiries had learned about
it's long abstinence from food. i've been
told that aligators will go without eating
for a year Let me tell You about an al
ligator that l knew of once that went with
out eating for six months, or that ate 80
little it wasn't enough to count.
For years I've spent my winters in
Florida, on the east coast. and one winter
when was down there like that. when the
swamps, all round in the region in which
| STAYED were all very dry, this alligator
that / speak of, which was a big fellow.
IA or Is feet long should think, though we
never cared to go near enough to 1t to
measure 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.
How do | know it never went back
into the water? | don't know that alb
solutely of my own knowledge, but ] am
satisfied in my mind, from all the indl-
cations, that il never did, and that II never
moved. after it first came out more than
fifty feet on the land. a | have told you.
And | know that birds built their nests
on this alligators back and hatched out
their young there.
And all this time that the big alligator
was lying there pretty much all it had
to eat was flies and snakes. There is said
to be something about the odor or some
thing of an alligators 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 its mouth, and then
suddenly the big gator would cast Off
the catch that held its jaw up, somewhere.
and down ii would drop and catch mil
lion flies But what s q million flies TO
fifteen foot alligator?
And sometimes it would catch n snake.
snake would go sliding past and that
alligator would swing its head round and
grab il. But whats an Uc asional snake to
an alligator Of that size?
And we thought-that Is, friend Of
mine living there and myself hat we'd
give the alligator something TO eat. And
we did give 1t one chicken.
But not by hand. We gave it to him
from safe distance and vet in Il 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 tho
other. and holding the chicken in that way
we brought it down close 10 the alligator'S
Jaws and the alligator snapped it and
"Rut what are n few million flies and few