EEPTILES. 



275 



" The Alligator (Alligator lucius, fig 49), a native of 

 North America and abundant in the Mississippi, is a for- 

 midable and ferocious creature, prodigiously strong, and 

 sometimes reaching the length of 18 feet. It is pro* 



4' 



FIG. 49. 1, CROCODILE (Crocodilus vulgaris) ; 2, ALLIGATOK 

 (Alligator lucius) ; 3, LIZAEDS. 



vided with numerous sharp teeth, long tenacious claws, 

 and a powerful tail, a single blow of which is capable of 

 overturning a canoe. It chiefly preys by night, assem* 

 bling in large numbers, besetting the mouth of some 



T 2 



