338 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



New York Aquarium as they would in a build- 

 ing more accessible to sunshine. The tem- 

 porary warming of torpid alligators or turtles 

 in boxes set near a heater is useless. If they 

 can not be kept where both air and water are 

 permanently warm, they should be dispensed 

 with. 



The numerous chilled and weak alligators 

 sent to the "Zoological Park" each year, are 

 placed in the sunny Reptile House in a tank of 

 water with a steam pipe in it. 

 After a thorough warming 

 up in water of 80 to go de- 

 grees temperature, they begin 

 to feed, and in three years 

 will be a yard long, and 

 weigh twelve or fourteen 

 pounds. The State of Flor- 

 ida is making a mistake in 

 allowing the present heavy 

 export of young alligators, 

 which are practically all lost 

 by being carried north. 

 Large alHgators are now 

 scarce, and the supply of 

 alligators for leather is al- 

 most exhausted. 



Since alligators and turtles 

 do not feed unless kept per- 

 manently warm, it is nec- 

 essary to first provide them 

 with quarters where they will 

 have a temperature of cer- 

 tainly not less than 75 de- 



grees of both air and water. 

 They should also have the 

 benefit of sunshine. Forc- 

 ing cold alligators to eat by 

 cramming food into their 

 mouths is admissible only 

 temporarily. They will eat 

 freely when the water and 

 air are warm enough, and 

 will grow amazingly. They 

 eat such a variety of foods 

 that it is easy enough to pro- 

 vide for them. 



Alligators and snapping 



turtles are flesh eaters and 



may be provided with small 



minnows, frogs, tadpoles, 



worms, grubs, crayfish, 



shrimps, and small crabs, 



either dead or alive. When 



these can not be had, they 



will eat fresh chopped meat, 



fish, clams, and oysters. 



Many kinds of turtles will 



eat all of the above named foods, as well as 



snails, small aquatic mollusks, and insects. 



Others like very tender, green vegetables, such 



as tomatoes, lettuce, celery, and various water 



plants. The food of some species consists 



largely of the bulbs of sedges, {Cyperns), 



while with others it is chiefly small water- 



mollusks. 



Some of the turtles are active fish eaters, and 

 will do well if supplied with live minnows. The 



BOX TORTOISE. 



