﻿330 
  FAUNA. 
  

  

  Remarks. 
  — 
  The 
  Alligator, 
  chief 
  of 
  our 
  reptiles, 
  attains 
  

   a 
  great 
  size. 
  Some 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  measuring 
  twelve 
  

   or 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  in 
  length. 
  All 
  intermediate 
  sizes, 
  from 
  the 
  

   newlj-hatched 
  young, 
  not 
  exceeding 
  six 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  

   are 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  lakes 
  and 
  bayous, 
  chiefly 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mississippi 
  bottoms 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  our 
  other 
  principal 
  

   streams. 
  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  steamboats 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  

   driven 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  degree 
  from 
  our 
  navigable 
  streams, 
  

   and 
  they 
  have 
  evidently 
  been 
  greatly 
  diminished 
  in 
  the 
  

   last 
  half 
  century. 
  

  

  Formerly, 
  they 
  were 
  killed 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  by 
  the 
  

   French, 
  or 
  Creole 
  boatmen 
  (couriers 
  de 
  hois), 
  for 
  the 
  oil, 
  

   which 
  was 
  much 
  used 
  in 
  our 
  tanneries 
  for 
  dressins; 
  

   leather. 
  The 
  skins 
  were 
  often 
  tanned, 
  and 
  formed 
  a 
  

   unique 
  and 
  ornamental 
  seat 
  for 
  saddles, 
  having 
  the 
  ap- 
  

   pearance 
  of 
  quilted 
  or 
  embossed 
  work. 
  They 
  were 
  also 
  

   sometimes 
  manufactured 
  into 
  shoes 
  and 
  boots. 
  

  

  The 
  Alligator 
  lays 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  of 
  an 
  oval 
  

   form, 
  of 
  equal 
  size 
  at 
  both 
  ends, 
  and 
  three 
  to 
  four 
  inches 
  

   in 
  length. 
  These 
  they 
  deposit 
  in 
  nests 
  constructed 
  of 
  

   branches 
  of 
  decayed 
  wood 
  and 
  leaves, 
  intermixed 
  with 
  

   mud, 
  to 
  be 
  hatched 
  by 
  atmospheric 
  heat. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  Cabinet, 
  a 
  young 
  alligator 
  about 
  

   a 
  foot 
  in 
  length, 
  which 
  was 
  hatched 
  on 
  the 
  mantle-piece 
  

   in 
  the 
  parlor 
  of 
  a 
  gentleman 
  in 
  Vicksburg, 
  from 
  an 
  egg 
  

   which 
  had 
  lain 
  there 
  several 
  days. 
  It 
  lived 
  several 
  

   months. 
  

  

  The 
  shell 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  our 
  turtles, 
  the 
  Ghelonura 
  

   Temmincld, 
  sometimes 
  measures 
  three 
  feet 
  in 
  its 
  greatest 
  

   diameter. 
  When 
  fully 
  grown, 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  rarely 
  less 
  

   than 
  two 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  carapace, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  

   known 
  to 
  measure 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  inches 
  between 
  the 
  eyes. 
  

  

  The 
  couter, 
  or 
  Emys 
  terrapin, 
  the 
  second 
  in 
  size, 
  is 
  

   found 
  to 
  measure 
  twelve 
  or 
  fourteen 
  inches 
  along 
  the 
  

  

  