14 CROCODILES AND ALLIGATORS 



in the Florida crocodile, the mugger of India, followed by the 

 broad-headed West African crocodile, and ending with the 

 alligator, widest of all. 



Erroneous Impressions Corrected.- Regarding these 

 reptiles, a number of the erroneous impressions which are 

 now prevailing should be corrected. Some of them are as 

 follows: 



The true crocodiles are not confined to the Old World, 

 four species being found in America. 



Alligators are not wholly confined to America; for a small 

 species exists in China. 



The "movement" of a crocodile's jaws differs in no man- 

 ner whatever from that of an alligator. 



Only a very few species of crocodilians are dangerous to 

 man. 



So far as the author is aware, there is no authentic record 

 of the loss of a human life by our common alligator. 



All crocodilians swim with their tails, not their feet. 



The skin of a large crocodilian is by no means impervi- 

 ous to rifle bullets. A bullet sometimes strikes a bony plate 

 and glances off; but a proper bullet, properly placed, will 

 penetrate the skin or armor of the largest alligator or croco- 

 dile at any point. 



The author believes that no crocodile or alligator of to-day 

 exceeds L 2() feet in length, by actual measurement; and one 

 <>f that length is one out of ten thousand. 



Food. — Crocodilians are not epicures, and some species 

 devour all kinds of vertebrate animals that they can capture, 

 from man to mud-hens. But the supply of obtainable mam- 



