THE ALLIGATOR'S LIFE HISTORY 39 



usually only about one and one-half to two feet under the 

 top of the ground. By the size of the opening it can be 

 usually determined something of the size of the alligator 

 inhabiting the den. As a rule, alligators do not use their 

 dens during the Summer, leaving them for the more open 

 waters, but return to the vicinity of the den as cold weather 

 approaches, staying at the den from the early days of 

 October until Winter has passed. This does not apply to 

 females with young, as they stay at their dens with their 

 young from the time of hatching until the next Spring. 



Alligators are very susceptible to changes of tempera- 

 ture, and for that reason they crawl out of the dens onto 

 the banks when the air is warmer than the water, and for 

 that reason they do not go upon the bank in Summer dur- 

 ing the daytime when the sunlight is hotter than the water. 

 In summertime it is a rare thing to see an alligator on the 

 bank during the heat of the day, and they do most of their 

 overland traveling at night. 



