334 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



for hibernation, and at other times for the purpose that will be ex- 

 plained. 



Once in the water, then — to return to the unhappy razorback— 

 the alligator does not rely wholly upon his teeth and jaws to hold the 

 desperate animal. He can not yet sink, for the victim is too strong'. 

 It must first be drowned, and a furious struggle for the mastery 

 then begins. 



By degrees the brute finally succeeds in dragging the animal out 

 into water sufficiently deep to suit his purpose, and then he clasps it 

 firmly with his paws, precisely like the hugging of a bear. He then 

 begins to roll over and over. Now beneath the surface, now out, 

 he turns and turns, first the alligator uppermost, then his prey, alter- 

 nately, until the poor animal is drowned literally by inches. Before 

 long the razorback weakens, his struggles lessen, and then the alli- 

 gator sinks to the bottom, and when all motion has ceased he deposits 

 the body in his cave, well pleased with the prospect of a full larder 

 for some time to come. 



One might naturally ask just here whether or not this scene 

 would be the same were a human being the victim. The reply would 

 be — precisely. 



The alligator undoubtedly prefers his food in a partly decomposed 

 condition, although it is an undecided point whether this preference 

 arises from a natural taste, or for the reason that food in that state is 

 softer and more easily torn apart. Whichever may be the case, Na- 

 ture unasked supplies the remedy, and the alligator takes advantage 

 of her assistance, and deposits his victim in his hiding place, confident 

 that at the proper time it will rise to the surface in the condition best 

 adapted to his needs. 



Although by nature the alligator is amphibious, he passes the 

 greater part of his time upon land during the breeding season. At 

 such times, also, he migrates from one clear-water lake or swamp to 

 another, should he not find a mate in his own locality, and he may 

 not infrequently be met in his overland journeyings. Alligators are 

 not strictly gregarious, although large numbers are found in the same 

 body of water; while, on the contrary, there will often be but one or 

 two that will haunt a certain tract for a long period. 



During this season the bull alligator is very noisy, and his deep 

 bellowing may be heard for a long distance. To state that this noise 

 causes the ground to vibrate may seem an exaggeration, but the fact 

 may easily be proved by visiting a swamp where the reptiles have con- 

 gregated. The water in the vicinity will plainly show the jarring of 

 the ground. 



This bellow is a thundering, rumbling sound; and when it is 

 combined with the startling hisses, blowings, sighs, and deep-breathed 



