ALLKiATORS AND CKOCODI LES. (39 



The skin luinters kill alli<jj;itors at iiioiu, using a li<ijht with which 

 they iii'e able to " shine" their eyes. ^Flu' allii^ator does not fear a 

 light, and as the boat approaclu's within a few feet of the animal it 

 is shot without difficulty. Thousands are killed annually in this 

 manner, and their skins are shipj-)ed North or sold to intermediate 

 dealers in Jacksonville and \'icinity at the rate of ten cents per run- 

 ning foot. The much more sportsman-like wa\' of hunting the 

 alligator is by '' still-hunting " them in the daytime, paddling silently 

 up the creeks and riyers, where at times they may be found asleej-) 

 or sunning themseh'es on the banks. In places where they ha\e 

 been much hunted this is by no means easy to do. Where the alli- 

 gators haye not been disturbed they are tame and lazy, and I haye 

 passed within a few feet of se\'eral that gazed stupidly at me without 

 attempting to leaye the bank. A good ritle is the proper weapon 

 with which to hunt alligators. I prefer a 45 Winchester, either 

 45—70 or 45-90, which has power enough to kill the animal and not 

 merely wTnmd it and allow it to escape and die. A shot striking the 

 eye or any portion of the head so as to penetrate the brain is almost 

 instantly fatal. It is rare that a shot in the body will stop an alli- 

 gator where he lies, and it is not adyisable to shoot at the body if 

 the head is exposed. The old idea that a rifle-ball woiUd glance 

 from the skin of an alligator does not apply to modern weapons. 

 If a rifle-ball strikes fairly it will penetrate the skin without difh- 

 culty and will sometimes pass completely through the body. 



Before closing my remarks on large alligators I will refer to an 

 entry which I once saw in the register of the Brock House. 



In the old da3's, when transportation was more difficult than it is at 

 present, the Brock House was about the end of civilization and was 

 a twenty-four hours' trip by boat from Jacksonville. It was at that 

 time a great resort for sportsnien, who were attracted there by the 

 Ashing and shooting to be had in the \-icinit\'. The old register, 

 which extended back a great many years, contained some quee^" 

 records, some of them of doubtful veracity. Among others, some 

 one has written : " March 19, 1872, killed a large alligator, the 

 largest seen here this year : the stomach contained a boot, a piece 



