486 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



fifteen feet in length. Here is an in- 

 stance of crudely recorded dimensions : 

 I had shot, and almost certainly killed, 

 a large specimen under conditions of 

 wind and depth of water that made it 

 impossible to secure it, the body sink- 



side and estimated its length by the 

 known dimensions of his boat. He re- 

 ported it as fourteen feet, or more ! 



In August of the present year, my 

 wife and I spent our vacation at the 

 Onslow Eod and Gun Club, on New 



Dim recesses of secluded swamps and bayous, where the trees are festooned with the gray Span- 

 ish moss, and a coating of duckweed and green algae covers the water, are favorite haunts of the alli- 

 gator. Orton Pond harbors many large specimens 



ing at the shot. I had a clear profile 

 view of the top of the head from eye to 

 snout, and I feel certain that it varied 

 but a few inches, one way or the other, 

 from nine and one half feet in length. 

 As I learned later, the body floated 

 within a day or two (I had to leave the 

 place before this could occur, or I would 

 have been on the lookout myself) and a 

 passing fisherman ran his skifp along- 



Eiver, in southeastern North Carolina. 

 We had some very interesting and fa- 

 miliar experiences with alligators, par- 

 ticularly with small ones, although sev- 

 eral of large size were seen. On one 

 occasion, with our canoe lying station- 

 ary in a gut deep in the marsh that 

 reeked with alligator sign, we could 

 hear the grunting and splashing of 

 vounff ones close at hand. We saw 



