THE ALLIGATOR'S LIFE HISTORY 



CHAPTER VIII 

 NEST AND NEST-BUILDING 



There is considerable variation in the size and in the lo- 

 cation of alligator nests. Old, fully-grown females will fre- 

 quently use the same location year after year, building each 

 succeeding nest on top of the old one until quite a mound 

 accumulates. Such a nest may be as much as ten feet across 

 the base and four feet in height at the centre. This does 

 not mean that the nest is built this large each year, but the 

 new nest being built on top of the old nest year after year, 

 and the old nest having been spread or mashed down some- 

 what before the new nest is built, the size above stated is 

 sometimes reached. The usual size of an alligator's nest 

 is about five to seven feet abrthe base, with a two and one- 

 half to three foot cone; but I have found nests that were 

 very much smaller than this containing a full complement 

 of eggs. Alligators lay only once in a season and deposit 

 all of their eggs at one time in an irregular mass, without 

 any material being placed between the eggs. After the eggs 

 are laid in the hollow of the nest, (which hollow is made af- 

 ter the nest is built by digging the top out with the hind feet, ) 

 they are covered by the alligator's taking the loose material 

 needed for covering them in its mouth and dropping it on 

 top of the eggs, crawling backwards and forwards across the 

 covering material to firm it down. The nest is always cone- 

 shaped some much more pointed than others. Sometimes 

 the top of the nest is plastered with mud taken from under 

 the marsh grass roots, and there is usually some mud mixed 

 with the wet material forming the upper part of the nest. 

 In wet weather or after each rain, the mother alligator 

 slides across her nest backward and forward to slick down 



