170 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



parts would be eaten away, and the skin was then hung in 

 the sun to dry. The music furnished by this part of the 

 band consisted in the player scratching the back of the dead 

 'gator with a stick. 



The Alligator 200 Years Ago 



It may be interesting to know what Orleanians in 1718 

 thought of this monster of the river that crawled about the 

 streets of the newly established city. Again we turn to 

 M. Le Page du Pratz's Histoire de la Louisiane and find 

 his interesting life history of the saurian, together with 

 an engraving of the alligator that must have filled the pur- 

 chasers of his book with fear and trembling. 



"The crocodile is to be found in great numbers in the St. 

 .Louis (Mississippi) River, but even though this amphibian is 

 well known I cannot refrain from speaking of it. Without giving 

 a description of it, which is to be found everywhere, I will say 

 that he follows the banks of the river frequented by man. They 

 lay their eggs in the month of May, when the sun is already 

 hot in this country, and deposit them in the most secluded spot 

 they can find, between the grass exposed to the midday rays of 

 the sun. These are usually as big as goose eggs, but longer. 

 When broken there is most the white to be lound, the yolk being 

 no bigger than that of a young pullet's. I have never seen one 

 newly hatched. 



"The smallest I saw, which I judged to be three months, was 

 the length of an ell with a diameter of iy 2 inches. I killed one 

 19 feet long and 3% feet in width at the widest part. One of 

 my friends killed one 22 feet long. The little crocodile that I 

 just mentioned had paws no longer than that of a frog three 

 months old; he moved them with difficulty and it appeared to 

 me that the large ones could use theirs no better. The two larger 

 ones just cited had paws no longer than a foot which they moved 

 with difficulty, but all in the water are exceedingly active. 



"This animal has his body always covered with slime, like 

 all fish found in muddy waters, and when he comes on land he 

 leaves a slimy track; he drags his body and this causes the 

 ground where he passes to be very slippery and to return to the 

 water he follows this slippery track. He does not go in search 

 of fish, but conceals himself and catches them as they pass- On 

 the side of the river where the current is greater, he digs a hole 

 beneath the surface of the water with his claws, and is careful 

 to make this hole narrow at the opening and large enough at 

 the bottom so that he is able to turn. He places himself here 

 and waits for the fish who are exhausted from the strong cur- 

 rent to go in search of still water to rest and coming from the 

 light do not see the crocodile hidden in obscurity so retire with- 

 out fear. His enemy, who has the advantage of seeing the fish_ 

 in the light, quickly seizes his prey. 



