14 The Alligator and Its Allies 



are held close against the body in order that they 

 may retard the animal's motion as little as possible. 

 While swimming in a leisurely way the top of the 

 head is at the surface of the water, perhaps just 

 the nostrils and eyes projecting above the surface, 

 so that the size of the animal can be estimated by 

 the distance between these projecting points. One 

 afternoon the writer and a guide, while paddling 

 along an old canal that was dug years ago into 

 the Okefinokee Swamp, were preceded for perhaps 

 half a mile by a large alligator that swam just fast 

 enough to keep out of our reach until he came to the 

 place where he wanted to turn off into the swamp. 



Although so awkward on land, the alligator is 

 said to be able to defend himself very effectively 

 with his tail, which he sweeps from side to side 

 with sufficient force, in the case of a large specimen, 

 to knock a man off his feet. Although the writer 

 has seen captured and helped to capture alive 

 several alligators up to eight feet in length he has 

 never seen this vigorous use of the tail as a weapon 

 of defense. 



While the alligator, like most other wild animals, 

 will doubtless defend itself when cornered, it w^U 

 always flee from man if possible, and the writer 

 has frequently waded and swam in ponds and lakes 

 where alligators lived without the least fear of 

 attack. This might not have been possible years 

 ago when the animals were more numerous and 

 had not been intimidated by man and his weapons. 



