»7J -^'ij .'A AM A I G A.'fl 



one part of tl.e year, they mufl: neceflarily have recourft; ak other 

 times to a different aliment. It is certain, that they will prey :6poii 

 the dead carcafes of animals thrown into the water near their, haunts. 

 They will alfo carry off living animals, fuch as calves and co\ts, 

 whenever they are able to fiirprize them : they are likewife faid to 

 devour filh, when they fall in their way; it feems therefore tiiat 

 they are endued with a capacity to digeft thefe feveral kinds of food, 

 and convert them to their fubfiftence ; but although I have feen 

 many of them cut open, I never obferved any fubftances of this fort 

 in their maws. It is probable, from the torpid circulation of their 

 blood, that they can endure hunger for a great length of time; and 

 that they catch their prey by furprize, fur othervvife the fmalleft 

 degree of adiylty would elude their attempts; filh of every fpecies 

 are too nimble, unlefs blockaded in holes which they often (efpe- 

 cially the Jew-fifh and Calipever) form in the river banks, into 

 which the alligators are faid to purfue them. Cattle, fuch as young 

 calves and colts, which frequent thefe rivers to flake their thirft, 

 are apt to venture too far, till thiy are entangled in the mud or 

 weeds at the bottom, .and, have not ftrength enough to extricate 

 themfelves; whilfl they are hampered in this manner, they fatigue 

 themfelves with violent efforts, till they are either fmothered or 

 drowned, and may then beconie a treat for an alligator ; I have 

 been told of one, that feized a very young colt by the leg, as he 

 was ftanding on the low margin of a river, drew him into the wa- 

 ter, and having jirovvned him by diving, was making towards a 

 convenient fpot to regale [.v], when he was fuddenly met by a 

 canoe manned with two or tiiree Negroes, upon whole fliouts he 

 let go his hold and retired under water, leaving his booty to the 

 captors. Upon examining the maws ot feveral, I perceived nothing, 

 but pebble-flones, and in fome few the (hells of alligator's tggs ; 

 whence I conclude not only that they are often deftitute (f food, 



[x] It is faid by fome writers, " that they let their prey lie tour or five days underwater 

 *' untouched, for that they cannot eat the lead bit till it is half rotten; but that when it is 

 " thorou<;hlv putrefied, they devour it with great voracity.'* It is not probable, that an i .imal 

 furniflieJ as he is, with fuch a number of teeth fitted for rending and dividing the toujjh !t tub- 

 ftances, and vvhofe apj;ctite is reprefentrd to be fo Icen, could abltain fo long from gratil lig it; 

 bcfides, it fcems to contcaJift the aflertion of otliers, who relate, that an alligator, having once 

 tafted the blood of a living aaimal, becomes iniatiablc for it ever after* 



but 



