THE ALLIGATOR'S LIFE HISTORY 97 



she came up one side, then deliberately slid her body across 

 the top of the nest, turned and slid back so that the whole 

 weight of her body pressed the wet material down on the 

 eggs. She then went to the pond again, and after tearing at 

 the rushes a couple of minutes came out with another mixed 

 mouthful which she deposited on top of the nest, crawling 

 over it as before. Six trips were made for broken green 

 rushes, mud and the partly decayed material from below 

 the water, all of which was placed on the top of the nest. 

 As the center-fill got higher, she crawled around the slope 

 of the cone-like top instead of crawling over the top. This 

 caused the top to be quite pointed, very much like a small 

 round top hay-stack, and very smooth, as the weight of her 

 body slicked the mud and rushes together like smooth 

 plaster. She then slid down to the ground, crawled around 

 the nest, slowly inspecting it, then went down her road to 

 the pond. It was now ten minutes after four, and although 

 I waited in the blind until six-thirty, she did not come back. 

 The next morning I went to the blind at sunrise, but saw 

 no signs of the old one's having been at the nest. After 

 waiting a couple of hours I went to the nest with a tape 

 line to take some measurements. As I stood looking at it, 

 I was startled by hearing a loud hiss, and turning, there 

 was the mother alligator at the edge of her road at the 

 water; her head and fore-parts on the bank, mouth half 

 open, and showing by her expression great resentment at 

 my nearness to her nest. I went about taking the measure- 

 ments of the nest and she came out of the water to within 

 a few feet of me, mouth part-way open and hissing loudly 

 and often. I went quietly about my measuring clucking to 

 her soothingly, and she quieted down, but kept near the 

 nest, and I feel sure had I attempted to molest the nest she 

 would have attacked me. Having completed what I wanted, 

 I withdrew to my blind to watch. The old alligator being 

 satisfied I had left, slowly crawled around her nest, then 

 went to the water and kept watch with her head on the 



