28 THE ALLIGATOR'S LIFE HISTORY 



see that there was some commotion going on in the hole 

 from the abundance of muddy water that was coming out 

 of it, and as the water was clear above the hole and the 

 tide running out, I knew that this alligator was the cause 

 of the muddy water I had noticed at the junction of the 

 small stream with Alligator Bayou. After watching for 

 eight or ten minutes, heavy muddy water started boiling 

 out of the hole, and in a little while I could see the end of 

 the alligator's tail as it backed from the hole, and on both 

 sides of the tail was a great mass of soft mud mixed with 

 grass roots. As the alligator's body backed out of the hole 

 I could see that it was pushing this material out with the 

 flat of its webbed hind feet. After backing its body a little 

 more than half way out of the hole, it disappeared again 

 under the bank and there was very little commotion for 

 about five or six minutes; when heavy muddy water began 

 to boil out of the hole as the alligator again backed out 

 pushing a considerable mass of loose material from the 

 hole with its hind feet. This time when its tail was half 

 way out of the hole it began waving slowly but strongly 

 from side to side, creating an eddy very much like that 

 created by a boat's propeller. This tail action completely 

 spread the mud that had been pushed out of the hole, mix- 

 ing it with the water which in turn carried it down stream. 

 I stayed, watching this work, for at least an hour, and dur- 

 ing that time the alligator came entirely from the hole only 

 once. It was a large "bull" or male, at least twelve feet 

 long, and although I was within twenty feet of him, the 

 wind was favorable, and my boat being hidden by the over- 

 hanging grass which partly concealed me, he did not show 

 any suspicion that danger was near. I left quietly while 

 he was hidden, expecting to come back and catch him, but 

 I did not again visit the spot for several years, and then 

 found the hole filled up with silt and deserted ; he had prob- 

 ably been killed by a hide-hunter. 



1925 and 1926 were unusually dry years in Southern 



