THE FLUL'JDA Ch'UCUPI IJ-J 



451 



liccii told elsewhere, sn I will inei'cly cxci' iimiMy and deep were the holes 



>iii)miai-i/.e it here. \\"e had (•(•iTalled wliei'e >he t I'ied to hide, 



the ci-ealiire in a diH'p Iml narrow ehan- 'I'he hope came lo iiie then of takin,i;- 



iiel the ends of which were guarded hrr ali\c hut 1 lacked (he e.\|)eiaeiice 



li\- our two skiffs. Julian's and mine. wliicli 1 accuuiulalcil in later yeai's and 



He got the lirst shot with his harpoon. was worsted in a contest of some hours 



which soon )udled out. ha\ing failed to which lid't. on our side, one hoat out of 



penetrate the hide hex'ond the hai'h. couiniissiiui and the other (hunaged. 



Tlie second shot was mine and the har- and a lighting mad crocodile on the 



poon hehl. but the iron was so small othei'. That T resorted to my rille was 



and its harh so short that T dared put my adnussion of defeat. lUd at least 



little strain upon it. yet it enabled us 1 had killed Ihe record Florida croco- 



lo follow and find the big saurian how- dile, of that I could be sure. 



4 



m 



The P'lorida crocodile is a more vigorous fighter tliiui tlic alligator, Ijiit alter several vain at- 

 tempts to escape from a lasso he may become discouraged and tamel.v allow his jaws to be held open 

 while his photograph is taken. The teeth of the crocodile are somewhat longer than those of the alli- 

 gator, and more or less interlock, some of those in the lower jaw fitting into pits in the upper jaw, 

 but the long tooth fourth from the front on each side of the lower jaw fits into a notch on the outside of 

 the upper jaw and is thus never hidden from view 



