186 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



decidely agreeable, being, as might be expected from so 

 amphibious an animal, somewhat like both flesh and fish, 

 yet not exactly like either. It is perhaps the idea of eating 

 a reptile that makes the meat unpopular. It may be that 

 experiments along the line of salting or smoking would be 

 worth while. 



New Protective Laws Needed 



In view of the rapidly diminishing numbers of the 

 alligators, suitable laws for its protection should be enacted. 

 It is claimed by some that the enormous increase of tha gar 

 fish that depredates en our valuable food fishes has been 

 caused by the unrestricted killing of the alligator. Cattle- 

 men in the lowlands count the alligator as one of their most 

 valuable allies. Its habit of making "holes" for a hiding 

 place at the same time provides places for the cattle to 

 drink when the prairies and marshes are feeling the effects 

 of a long drought ; especially has this been so in past years, 

 when Louisiana has experienced such dry seasons. 



The minimum for alligators to be taken and for skins to 

 be sold should be 4 feet at least; and a maximum of 8 feet. 

 As has been pointed out, a hunter does not get any more 

 for a 10, 12 or 14 foot hide than he does for a seven-footer, 

 and a number of alligator hunters claim that there is more 

 harm in hunting alligators when they are big than when 

 they are small, and that it is the larger alligators that will 

 propagate more successfully. Such assertions are usually 

 made on the strength of opinions and are not founded on 

 scientific or other study and should carry just that much 

 weight and no more. 



That a five-foot cow alligator will lay eggs seems to be 

 certain. That they will reproduce when six feet long is a 

 fact shown by our investigations. At just what length the 

 bull alligator reaches sexual maturity has not been estab- 

 lished, but it seems safe to presume that a five or six- 

 footer will properly function. 



That some state law is needed to restrain the killing of 

 so many small alligators seems necessary at this time, and 

 a new life history survey should be made, which will very 

 materially add to our sum of knowledge regarding this 

 picturesque inhabitant of our swamps and prairies. 



