THE CAIMANS 21 



from Cuba that it attains a maximum length of about 10 feet. 

 It is olive-green in color, slender in form, quick as lightning 

 in some of its movements and much given to roaming over- 

 land, or following up tiny watercourses, in search of new 

 hunting-grounds. I once shot a full-grown specimen in a 

 very small brook, near the geographical centre of the Isle of 

 Pines, Cuba, and saw others in a salt-water lagoon on the 

 north shore of that island. So far as known, it is not found 

 elsewhere than in Cuba. 



The American Crocodile inhabits the northern coast of 

 South America, and the Gulf coast of Central America, up 

 to Mexico. In the lagoons along the coast of Colombia, a 

 short distance eastward from the mouth of the Magdalena 

 River, there are small bays so thickly infested with reptiles 

 of this species, and of such great size, that very courageous 

 men of my acquaintance have not dared to enter in a small 

 boat. 



The Orinoco Crocodile 1 is marked by a very narrow 

 snout, by which character it is but two places removed from 

 the slender-beaked gavials of India and Borneo. In 1876 I 

 found this species abundant in the Orinoco River, seven 

 miles below Ciudad Bolivar, and killed a 12-foot male speci- 

 men which was undoubtedly very old. 



Of the Cai'mans, there are five species, all of which 

 strongly resemble our alligator, and inhabit Central and South 

 America, and portions of the West Indies. The Eyebroived 

 Caiman has the widest distribution, and is found from south- 

 ern Mexico to the Argentine Republic. The Black Caiman, 



1 Croc-o-di'lus in-ter-me'di-us. 



