SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT OF THE SPECIES. 205 
into the ground to a depth of two feet dug subterranean galleries by which it escaped. I 
have nothing to say against this, (as I have been assured that the Caiman digs caves in which 
they hide), though I myself have only seen the Caiman casually upon my travels. However 
it is stated at the end of the article in question that this individual was a C. rhombifer later 
presented to the Museum of Natural History at Paris. My observations show that the two 
Cocodrilos kept at my home never dug out the shallowest cavities, neither have the inhabi- 
tants of the Cienaga ever seen any of their dens. The Crocodrilos of the Cienaga de Zapata 
retire as the waters recede or dry up, to the nearby lakes, or to the deeper holes of the swamp 
itself. The females leave the water for egg laying, digging a hole or trench in the shore close 
to the water; all the eggs are laid at one time, and are covered by the dirt taken out of the 
trench. I have been unable to find out the time one takes to deposit her eggs, as also the 
time of incubation, but I do know that it takes some weeks. Mr. Francisco Sauvalle gave 
me a set containing sixty eggs, (I do not know what the maximum number may be) of the 
Caiman. After a long time I tried to empty some of these eggs for my collection; upon 
opening one of them I heard sounds from within, and when IJ had fully opened it I took out 
of it an embryo, which was to all appearances ready to emerge. I firmly believed this, as it 
tried to bite me, but upon a closer examination found that it still had a small sac of yolk 
attached to its abdomen at the umbilicus. I withdrew from the eggs other embryos to be 
put into alcohol. One morning two weeks later, the remaining eggs were cracked and the 
embryos had all beea hatched at the same time. These differed from the ones I had taken 
out, only in that these did not have the yolk attached as had the others. Two of the eggs 
being larger than the rest I suspected that they might contain twins. ‘I was anxious to learn 
whether these were malformed or stuck together, or whether they were normal, so I opened 
them, very carefully, longitudinally so that I might be able to keep the shells; finding within 
the two embryos quite normal and separated from each other. 
“The eggs measured 73 X 47 millimeters or 81 X 42 millimeters, while the double eggs 
measured 100 X 50 millimeters. Both extremities were alike, the color of the egg being vitre- 
ous white, not unlike crockery, and very hard. The Cocodrilo egg of my collection measures 
78 X 52 millimeters. The young Caimans grow very slowly but quicker than the adults 
or the half-grown. I have no notes as to their growth, but I have reared an alligator from the 
Mississippi which I received in 1868, when newly hatched, from my friend Poey. I carried 
him home in an empty cigar box (the 100 cigar size), and after four years he had only grown 
to a length of thirty inches. This animal was very tame, leaving the water, upon a signal 
given by me, to receive its food which consisted in fowl entrails and bits of beef. Its tameness 
made it a great pet, which at the same time was the cause of its undoing, as it was stolen from 
me. 
“Both of the Cuban species will leave the water, climbing upon a log or stone or remain- 
ing upon the ground, but take quickly to the water upon the approach of man. After a little 
while they may come up some distance away, never showing but just the top of their heads, 
that is to say, only that part from the nasal openings to the back of the two elevations on 
each side produced by the prolonging backward of the postorbital crest. The eyes remain 
above the surface of the water. As one approaches, the visible portion disappears under water, 
the course of the animal being easily seen by the ripples on the surface. I have never seen 
individuals over two and one half to three Spanish yards in length in the parts of the Cienaga 
where I have hunted them, but in an interior lagoon known as “El Tesoro” there are indi- 
viduals six varas in length and perhaps longer. The Cocodrilo sixteen and a half feet long 
whose skull I have, was killed in that lagoon. 
“Another notable difference between the two species is the strong musky odor of the 
Caiman. Whenever I angered a Caiman it would swell up, at the same time a cone-shaped 
