NATURAL HISTORY. 405 



turning half round as I vaulted, so that I gained my seat with 

 my face in a right position. I immediately seized his fore legs, 

 and by main force twisted them on his back ; thus they served 

 me for a bridle. 



" He now seemed to have recovered from his surprise, and 

 probably fancying himself in hostile company, he began to 

 plunge furiously, and lashed the sand with his long and pow- 

 erful tail. I was out of reach of the strokes of it, by being near 

 his head. He continued to plunge and strike, and made my 

 seat very uncomfortable." 



In Audubon's American Ornithology is an account of a 

 wounded ibis chased by the alligators. A white ibis had been 

 shot, and had fallen into the water with a broken winn-. 

 ' The exertions which it made to reach the shore seemed to 

 awake the half torpid alligators that lay in the deep mud at 

 the bottom of the pool. One showed his head above the 

 water, then a second and third. All gave chase to the 

 wounded bird, which, on seeing its dreaded and deadly fees, 

 made double speed towards the very spot where we stood. I 

 was surprised to see how much faster the bird swam than the 

 reptiles, who, with jaws widely opened, urged their heavy 

 bodies through the water. The ibis was now within a few 



C3 



yards of us. It was the alligator's last chance. Springing 

 forwards, as it were, lie raised his body almost cut of the 

 water ; his jaws nearly touched the terrified bird, when, by 

 pulling three triggers at once, we lodged the contents of cur 

 guns in the throat of the monster. Threshing furiously with 

 his tail, and rolling his body in agony, the alligator at last 

 sunk to the mud ; and the ibis, as if in gratitude, walked to 

 our very feet, and then lying down, surrendered himself to us." 

 Like the Crocodile, the Alligator lays its eggs in the sandy 

 bank of the river. Fortunately, but few of the young ever 

 reach maturity, as their ranks are thinned by various birds 

 and beasts of prey before the eggs are hatched, and by the at- 

 tacks of large fishes, and even their own species, when they 

 have reached the water. 



