62 LORICATA. — CROCODILID^. 



party, seated in the bottom, is paddled, or 

 poled, in search of water-game. There, on a 

 sudden, hundreds of Alligators are seen dis- 

 persed all over the lake, their head and all the 

 upper part of their body floating like a log, 

 and in many instances so resembling one, that it 

 requires to be accustomed to see them, to know 

 the distinction. Millions of the large wood-ibis 

 are seen wading through the water, muddling it 

 up, and striking deadly blows with their bills 

 on the fish within. Here are a horde of blue 

 herons ; the sand-hill crane rises with hoarse note ; 

 the snake-birds are perched here and there on the 

 dead timber of the trees ; the cormorants are fish- 

 ing ; buzzards and carrion-crows exhibit a mourn- 

 ing train, patiently waiting for the water to dry, 

 and leave food for them ; and far in the horizon 

 the eagle overtakes a devoted wood-duck, singled 

 from the clouded flocks that have been bred there. 

 It is then that you see and hear the Alligator, 

 at his work ; each lake has a spot deeper than 

 the rest, rendered so by those animals, who work 

 at it ; and always situated at the lower end of 

 the lake, near the connecting bayous, which, 

 as di'ainers, pass through all these lakes, and 

 discharge sometimes many miles below where 

 the water had made its entrance above ; thereby 

 ensuring themselves water, as long as any will 

 remain. This is called by the hunters the Alli- 

 gator's hole. You see them there lying close to- 

 gether. The fish, that are already dying by 

 thousands, through the insufferable heat and 

 stench of the water, and the wounds of the dif- 

 ferent winged enemies constantly in pursuit of 

 them, resort to the Alligator's hole to receive 



