418 NATURAL HISTORY. 



There are three groups of these forms : the gavials, which are confined 

 to the eastern continent ; the crocodiles, which occur on both continents ; 

 and the alligators and caymans, which are confined to the New World. 

 All are hated and feared, on account of their ravenous habits, and yet they 

 do an immense amount of good by their labors as scavengers. The trop- 

 ical rivers in which they dwell bring down large numbers of dead animals, 

 and these, unless removed, would breed pestilence in the lowlands. Now 

 the service of these animals comes in ; to them a bit of carrion is far more 

 palatable than any fresh meat; indeed, they are said to frequently bury 

 the animals they kill, and wait until decomposition sets in before devouring 

 them. 



Best known of all to us is the alligator, that denizen of the rivers and 

 swamps of the southern states. The traveler upon the rivers of Florida 

 and the bayous of Mississippi sees large numbers of them, basking in the 

 sunshine on the shore, or on some old log, looking so limp and lifeless that 

 one can hardly help thinking they are dead. They are, however, soon 

 alarmed, and they quickly crawl into the water, where they are perfectly 

 at home. In Florida, and in other easily accessible regions, they have 

 now become considerably diminished in numbers, owing to the persistency 

 with which they have been hunted to supply the demand for alligator 

 leather. In the more remote and inaccessible localities they still flourish, 

 and are constantly on the wait for some object of prey. They but rarely 

 attack man voluntarily, unless impelled by hunger, but when aroused they 

 prove no mean antagonists. Their jaws are armed with a fearful array of 

 teeth, while a blow from their strong tail may break a man's leg. 



They are said to be especially fond of the flesh of dogs, and to congre- 

 gate at places where they hear a dog bark, or a puppy whine, with only 

 the tip of the snout and the vicious-looking eyes above the surface of the 

 water. It is said that the natives of the West Indies and South America 

 are well aware of this peculiarity, and when they wish to cross a stream 

 infested with these monsters, they cause a dog to bark at one spot, and 

 when all the alligators are congregated there, they cross, without the 

 slightest danger, at a point above or below. One peculiarity is the fond- 

 ness they exhibit for swallowing substances from which they cannot 

 possibly extract the slightest nutriment. It is said that this is clone to 

 keep the stomach distended, and the fact that sticks, bottles, stones, etc., 

 have been taken from them lends countenance to the view. Our alligator 

 but rarely exceeds twelve feet in length. It lays its eggs in the sand, 

 usually forming a small mound for the purpose. 



The caymans belong to South America. There they abound in the 

 rivers. They have their migrations. When the wet season comes, they 



