THE ALLIGATOR'S LIFE HISTORY 85 



was with me, and began looking along the bank hoping to 

 find some of the little ones. Close to the bank I saw four or 

 five of them on the edge of the water against the grass. I 

 lay down very foolishly and began crawling on my stomach, 

 trying to get close enough to grab the little fellows without 

 frightening them. The boy on the horse suddenly called 

 out: "Look out for the big one, Boss." I raised my head 

 just in time to avoid the rush of the mother alligator, who, 

 to protect her young, had risen to the surface and rushed 

 at me, and but for the timely call of the boy, would un- 

 doubtedly have got me by the head, and that would have 

 been the last of me, as she was a big one. This instance was 

 clearly an attack in protection of the young. 



Alligators have exceedingly acute hearing and sight, and 

 I am sure, can see the approach of a person long before 

 they can be seen by the person. A number of times I have 

 witnessed alligators disappearing off the bank of streams 

 long before I could see them on the bank. As I would be 

 paddling along a stream, I would suddenly see far ahead of 

 me a great shape slide off the bank with a splash, and the 

 watchful old alligator would have disappeared. That their 

 hearing is very acute is proven by the fact that it is almost 

 impossible to walk up on an alligator while it is on the bank, 

 or if it is an old shy individual, to get a glimpse of it by 

 walking to its den. The alligator invariably hears an ap- 

 proaching individual and sinks out of sight long before it 

 can be seen, and long before it could see one approach. It 

 could only tell of an approach by hearing. An alligator 

 hears readily while under the water, and if no alligators 

 are in sight, I frequently bring them to the surface by imi- 

 tating the cry of a dog or the peculiar grunting sound that 

 a young alligator makes when it has strayed away from 

 its mother. 



When taking sunbaths on the bank, it is usual for alli- 

 gators to hold their mouths partly open. I have never in 

 all my experiences seen them snap their jaws together at 



