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 20 feet in length, by actual measurement; and one 

 of 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- 



