134 The Natural Historg 



manner of Provision, which some report to be the space of 

 threescore Days. In Spring they come forth from their 

 Holes or Caves, and continually sv^^im up and down the Riv- 

 ers and Creeks in the Day time, but at Kight they are to be 

 met with in the Woods and Marshy low Grounds. They 

 always breed near the fresh Water streams, or clear Foun- 

 tains, yet seek their Prey in brackish and Salt-waters, not 

 near the open Shoar, but in the Rivers and Creeks. They 

 are never known to devour Men in Carolina, but on the con- 

 trary, always strive to avoid them, as much as possibly they 

 can. Yet they frequently kill Swine and Dogs, the former 

 as they come to feed in the Marshes and at the sides of the 

 Rivers and Creeks, and the latter as they are swiming over 

 them. 



The Alligator lays Eggs as Ducks do, only they are longer 

 shap'd, and have a larger and thicker Shell than they have ; 

 but how long they are in Hatching their Eggs I never could 

 be satisfied, or rightly informed, for the Indians with whom 

 I conversed, say, it is most part of the Summer, and only by 

 the heat of the Sun ; but some of the Christians assured me, 

 this was performed in sixty Days, or thereabouts: Their 

 young ones are shaped exactly like a Lizard, Asker, or Effit, 

 and they have short flat and large Tongues. I saw one of 

 the young ones taken and brought to a Planters House who 

 had a Pond of Water before his Door (out of which he dug 

 Clay for Building) wherein he put the young Alligator, it 

 remained there for half a Year, feeding on Guts of Fowl and 

 other Flesh-meat and Frogs that ha])pcud to come into the 

 Pond. It grew so very domestick, that it would frequently 

 come into the Dwelling House, and return again to the Pond : 

 But at length it stole away to the Creek before the Planters 

 Dwelling House, as was supposed, for it never could be seen 

 or heard of afterwards. But to return to their Breeding 



their 



