108 



THE ALLIGATOR'S LIFE HISTORY 



rain the mother would liberally wet down the top of the 

 nest in order to prevent evaporation and the drying-out of 

 the nest-material. There were ten and one-half inches of 

 material above the top of the eggs and much more than this 

 around the sides of the eggs. The eggs were laid in an ir- 

 regular mass with none of the material from which the nest 

 was built between them. I have opened hundreds of alli- 

 gator nests and have never found the eggs deposited in 

 layers with a covering of the nest-material between them. 



REMARKS 



The eggs were laid betweei 

 9 A.M. and 12 noon, June 23 



Opened one of the eggs ; fount 

 embryo but slightly developed 



Opened one of the eggs (se 

 {) next page). 



