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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



new one promptly comes up beneath the hollow base of the old one ; 

 and in this way, all ready for the need, sometimes three or four wait ■ 

 ing teeth, packed together like a nest of thimbles, may be seen in the 

 jaw of a dead alligator. 



The alligator is at best an awkward brute. Slow and ungainly 

 upon land — although even there his powerful tail can, when neces- 



Young Pet Alligator. From photograph by E. L. Russell, Palm Beach. 



sary, assist the scuffling paws to an astonishing extent if the creature 

 is in haste — he shows to better advantage in the water. There he 

 turns his clumsy body with wonderful dexterity and swiftness, when, 

 at the sight of a swimming muskrat or a wading dog, he instantly 

 changes from what has resembled a drifting log idly floating upon 

 the calm surface of the swamp, into a thing of life — fierce and 

 horrible. 



The general food of an alligator is fish, turtles, and frogs, with an 

 occasional heedless dog or fowl. A number of adult alligators will 

 quickly deplenish a small, clear-water lake of its finny inhabitants, 

 which statement to would-be Florida fishermen will readily account 

 for the lack in manv localities. There is also a curious belief in the 



