The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-08-04


oozy swamp. its victim must yield in.
stantiy to the unequal struggle.
The only time i'm the year when the
alligator becomes especially danger
Gus is during the month OF June.
During this month they become irri.
table and the older ones exceedingly
vicious. This is their nesting period.
The female fashions her nest by
scraping together with her hind feet
| pile of rubbish and mud, In which
she deposits from thirty to sixty eggs
| The eggs are about as large around
as duck egg, and about two and
/ half inches in length. The mother
gator stands guard over the rubbish
/ pile until the eggs are hatchcd by
! the heat of the sun But right here
| the mother gators responsibility ends
/ the little lizzard like reptiles are left
to SHIFT for themselves, their worst
enemy being the father gator, who is
an unconscienceable cannibal with
his own offspring.
The alligator Is a comparatively In.
expensive summer boarder He is "a
scavenger and one good square meal
a week. in the preparation of which
no fastidiousness need be displayed
Is sufficient.
Mr.. Anderson seems to exercise q
hypnotic influence over every one of
the gators on his farm" He handles
big nine-ioot Jumbo with impunity,
and with very little resistance on the
part of the reptile. The big saurian,
pounds and sledge-hammer tail, is
as tractable as an infant in the mas.
ter's hands. \ three ard "A half foot
alligator in this collection has been
trained to shoot the chute" The
top of the chute is gained by lad
der.like arrangements. At the word OF
tOHllllauu' tHe bdltoI Blu'S uoNh al
incline into pool of water. Though
"A new thing under the sun" in in
dustrial enterprises, alligator farming
Is a lucrative and interesting one.
There is growing demand for their
skins and an increasing demand for
live specimens.
The proprietor of the farm has
learned to talk the alligator language
This was demonstrated few days
ago, when three of the denizens of tlrn
farm" escaped and took refuge in
Rock Creek Not knowing what had
become of the truants, Mr.. Anderson
/ rightly concluded that they had sought
refuge in the creek. Passing down the
| banks of the creek for a hundred
/ Yards or so, he called to the gators
in their own language, language
/ that resembles very much some of the
gutteral sounds of n full blood Misss'
sippi Choctaw. when directly oppo'
site the Vendome, the three gators re-
sponded to the call by floating 10 the
surface and approaching the bank OF
the stream. As an advertisement, the
reptiles are being allowed to roam
at will, but greatly to the annoyance
of a colored washerwoman who, with
her numerous brood of picaninies lives
on the banks of the creek In that vi
cinity One OF the truant gators Is
about thrce feet long.
one of the peculiar characteristics
Of the alligator is, that when one OF
them receives an injury to an eye, the
victim will at once become sullen and
morose will refuse to eat, sink TO the
bottom of the pool in which It is con.
fined, pine away and die with all the
appearances of being the victim Of a
broken heart" Sull another pc.
culiarity is, that so long as you face
and look them square in the eye there
is no danger OF an attack from n
gator, but the instant your back Is
turned TO them they will strike out
with their armored tail like a flash of
lightning.
The farm" Is center of attrac-
tion for tourists and visitors. Beside
the alligators, the farm contains n
rare collection of animals and birds
In the latter collection is an Albino
coon, Albino rabbit, porcupines, lynx
and numerous rare birds. Mike the