The Biology of the Crocodilia 35 



ready to hatch. Such eggs may readily be hatched 

 by simply keeping them moist and at a fairly 

 constant temperature, as has been previously 

 noted. Besides the above uses Ditmars says: 

 ' The eggs are eaten in many portions of the South, 

 and the search for eggs at the proper season fur- 

 nishes profitable employment for many persons, 

 as each nest contains a large number of eggs." 



Never having eaten an alligator egg I cannot 

 speak from personal experience of its flavor; but 

 it has always seemed strange to me that more use 

 is not made of the flesh of the alligator. This 

 flesh is often said to have too strong a flavor to be 

 palatable; I have eaten it when it had no such 

 rank taste but was decidedly agreeable, being, as 

 might perhaps be expected of so amphibious an 

 animal, somewhat like both fish and flesh, yet not 

 exactly like either. Perhaps greater care should 

 be taken in skinning an animal that is to be used 

 for food in order that the flesh be not tainted with 

 the musk. It may be a lack of care in preparation 

 that has given rise to the impression that alligator 

 meat is too strong to be pleasant. It is perhaps, 

 also, the ;< idea" of eating a reptile that makes 

 the meat unpopular. A half -grown boy, who was 

 once in the swamps with me, had expressed a great 

 aversion to alligator meat, so the guide, one day, 

 offered him a nicely fried piece of alligator meat, 

 saying it was fish ; the meat was eaten with evident 

 relish and the diner was not told until after a 



