Charlevoix county herald., 1910-03-12

ceeds until she has laid from 25 to &C
eggs. The eggs are Matched out by
the sun.
AS soon as they have Clipped the
shell the baby alligators are led to
the water by the mother, who provides
them with food, which she disgorges.
Papa alligator has to be carefully
watched at this time, for he highly es-
teens a dinner of young saurians and
is not particular whether they are his
own or his neighbours children. When
by strategy or downright fighting the
mother has got her family safely into
their natural element it is not long
before the young scatter, each to be-
gin life on his own hook. At this
period they form a favorite food for
turtles and the larger fishes.
When fully grown the alligator is
about 16 feet in length. In the adult
stage it is greenish black above. hav
ing lost the yellowish color bands
that belong to its earlier years. Hunt
ers say that alligators grow very
slowly, attaining the first year length
of about one foot. When two feet in
| length they are said to be from 10 to
| 10 years old, while those IL feet long
are supposed to rs or more. Their
normal life is estimated at from 100
to $50 years.
Alligator hunting originally began
as sport. Then some one tanned the
skin and found that it could be put to
commercial use. Carried on as it
must be. at night, the hunt is pictur-
esoue
In many places the hunters fasten
bicycle lamps on their caps. and when
| the animal is attracted by the light
pick it off by hitting it in the eye with
rifle ball. Torches are often used.
Sometimes the hunter lures the alli-
gator to the surface of the water by
''telephoning to the gator" as 1t is
called.
An alligator is always attracted by
ligators make. for there is no sort of
food they love better than the newly
Matched gator. The hunter takes
long, slender pole and lets one end
of it down very quietly on to the wa,
ter. The other end he places between
his teeth and initiates the grunt of
the baby gators. The old fellows cas-.
lily hear the call and come to feast on
the babies they think are there.
In catching them alive hunters fire,
quently lasso them while asleep on
the bank or on a log. When asleep
in their holes in the mud they are oc-
casionaly drawn out by the means OF
an iron hook. These holes are easily
| found. Sometimes the grass is set
afire and the animals lassoed as they
seek the water
After the alligator is caught the
hunter in sport sometimes mounts it.
using the reptiles fore feet and legs
as reins. 1t is needless to say that IL
Is only by the exercise Of considerable
skill that the hunter keeps his seat
through the struggles of the reptile,
and If care is not used the fun may
develop into tragedy.
Alligators three feet and more in
length are generally killed at once
and the hide removed. All of the hide
except the ridge of the back. which is
very bony, is used. The hide is sailed
and is then condition for sale to the
buyers, who are usually storekeepers,
who furnish provisions and ammuni.
ton in exchange.
The hides range in value to the hunt.
ers from 20 cents for threefoot hide
to $125 for hide seven feet or more
in length. The five and six foot hides
are the most desirable, as the larger
hides have hard piece of bone in the
square checks on the hide, and 1t is
impossible to sew through this. Near
~ all OF the tanning is done at New.
ark. n. j.
Young alligators are often brought
in, and they are worth about eight
cents apiece. The eggs are also gath.
cred, and sell for "a cents each They
are mainly sold to curio dealers, who
, either hatch them out or blow them
and sell the shells Most OF the small
alligators are stuffed and sold as
curios to tourists. who pay from SO
cents to 81 apiece for them
Many of them used to be shipped
north alive by tourists as presents
Owing to ignorance as to how the anil
. NAL should be cared for many Of these
soon died.