CL. I.] ALLIGATORS. 9 



.sand-bank that extends down to the mouth of the river. 

 A long, deep branch from the river is a favourite resort 

 for alligators. At the far end of a sand-spit, near where 

 some low trees grew, I saw several dark objects lying 

 close to the water on the shelving banks. Thev were 



o J 



alligators basking in the sun. As I approached, most of 

 them crawled into the water. Mr. Hollenbeck had been 

 down a few days before shooting at them with a rifle, to 

 try to get a skull of one of the monsters, and I passed a 

 dead one that he had shot. As I. walked up the beach, 

 I saw many that were not less than fifteen feet in length. 

 One lay motionless, and thinking it was another dead 

 one, I was walking up to it, and had got within three 

 yards, when I saw the film over its eye moving, otherwise 

 it was quite still, and its teeth projecting beyond its lips 

 added to its intense ugliness and appearance of death. 

 There was 110 doubt, however, about the movement of the 

 eye-covers, and I went back a short distance to look for a 

 stick to throw at him ; but when I turned again, he was 

 just disappearing into the water. It is the habit of these 

 animals to lie quite still, and catch animals that come near 

 them. Whether or not he was waiting until I came within 

 the swoop of his mighty tail I know not, but I had the 

 feeling that I had escaped a great clanger. It was curious 

 that he should have been so bold only a few days after 

 Mr. Hollenbeck had been down shooting at them. 

 There were not less than twenty altogether, and they 

 swam out into the middle of the inlet and floated about, 

 looking like logs in the water, excepting that one 

 stretched up his head and gave a bellow like a bull. 

 They sometimes kill calves and young horses, and I was 

 told of one that had seized a full-grown horse, but its 



