66 THE VIVARIUM. 
washing, but also seems to cause him great pleasure. I believe, 
if I had time and inclination, I could train him to follow me like 
a dog. 
Though only a comparatively small beast, he has wonderful 
power in his tail, and anyone who has once felt its lashing would 
have little difficulty in realising somewhat the great caudal 
strength which is possessed by a full-grown beast of the same 
kind. My Alligator unfortunately, lost his temper when a 
friend and I one day were trying to photograph him, and, as I 
was holding him, he whipped my legs with his tail in such a 
way that I suffered pain from the blows for some little time after- 
wards, and thought there was some truth in the saying, “If you 
want to offend your friend, photograph him.” 
The late Mr. Charles Waterton, in his essay upon “ The 
Caiman,” gives this explanation of the origin of the word Alli 
gator: “The Spaniards, on their first arrival in the New World, 
seeing that the Caiman was an overgrown lizard. . . called it Una 
lagarta, which is the Spanish name for a lizard. . . The British, 
on hearing the Spaniards exclaim ‘Una lagarta’! when this 
animal made its appearance, they in their turn called it an 
Alligator ; for so the two Spanish words, Una lagarta, sounded 
in the English ear.”’ 
The Crocodilia are able to remain for a considerable time under 
water. 
