Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-29
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They often lie with their mouths wide open,
giving you q good opportunity Of inspecting
their teeth and yellow. leathery tongue, ana
you will be puzzled to say where the tnroat is'
as there seems to be no opening behind.
They hiss and roar savagely when disturbed,
and at times, especially when angry smell
strongly of musk
The flesh and eggs are not eataple on ne
count of this rank musky flavor. Sometimes
when alone they make queer believing,
moaning noise, rather pla1ntlve anu not -
all disagreeable to listen to.
healthy crocodilian always stands, hes
or floats with his heal slightly raised even
he has not fed for months, you may know ne
is all right by that. But If ne keeps his nose
down he is not well.
We must Just say word about the third
kind, the gavial. You are not very likely 70
the Ganges and few other rivers in India.
1t has very long and slender head: and lts
teeth. which are small and sharp-pointed, 70
hold the fish on which it feeds exclusively,
are all alike-no long fourth lower or notcn
in the upper jaw.
Living entirely on fish, it is more aquatic
in its habits than the alligator or crocodile,
and rarely leaves the water. Old ones have
sort of swelling on the end of the snout,
inside of which is cavity containing air. to
allow of their remaining longer under water.
True crocodiles live in Asia, Africa, Austria
lia the West Indies and tropical America;
gavials in India only. Alligators were, until
quite recently, considered to be confined to
America, but now one has turned up in CHINA.
That's the worst of natural history; Just as
you have everything settled according to rule,
aud nice and easy to recollect, some provok-
ing exception (which does not prove the
rnle) has to be acknowledged. Alligators and
gavials are considered very big at twenty feet,
WHILE as we have seen, crocodiles may grow
to thirty.
The eggs are laid in sand or mud and are
hatched by the heat of the sun; from thirty to
eighty or hundred are deposited at once, but
large proportion Of the little reptiles are
gobbled up by the old ones.
| The eggs are hard-shelled. like a birds
turtles and snakes eggs are inclosed in a soft
, shell. like thin white leather-and are a little
smaller than the egg. of goose, but longer
and more obIong in shape. I have hatched
good many over steam, but one of the funniest
things | ever saw was Sitting of four. or
five alligators' eggs hatched out under a hen
in Nicaragua. Her astonishment, her look If
Indignation and surprise at the strange chicks,
beat all description. She stood gazing at them
in stupefed CONSERVATION for some hours, and
then she suddenly beat their brains out and
began to eat them.
Alligator skin is used in the manufacture
Of so many. useful and fancy articles nova
days, that the reptiles are actually farmed on
the lower Mississippi in extensive Enclosures:
There is regular season for killing them, and
after the hides have been stripped off the
flesh is thrown to the others to- eat. Ihe m
dustry. as whole,>is termed the alligator
fishery" What a strangely misapplied word
that Fishery" is, in so many instances where
fsb are not in question at ALL Thus we hear
of the whale fishery and coral fishery, turtle,
pearl and sponge fisheries crab B., and lobster ef
the seals are called "rookeries"
The crocodile was one of the sacred animals
Of the ancient Egyptians, but is not very
commonly seen now in lower Egypt. Those
l. IN tor
mcnted with the ticks or parasites which in,
fest their mouths, and as they lie with their
laws open, small birds will swoop boldly down
and pick them off. -.
of soft wafer. from 70 to S5 deg. f., and food
once OF ga week, and he need make no further de-
mand on your time.