370 



VEKTEBllATA. 



,-om>sp.>ii.liii<r li..K-s nf (hr iippor jaw, in which they arc concealed when tlie mouth is closed. 

 Tlu" IimhI Irirs uikI U-ft are roiiii.l, an.l iieitlicr tViiiLCc.i ii<>r pectinated on the sides; the toes are 

 not eoiiipieU'ly wel.l.ed, the eonneeting nienihrane only extending to their middle ; and finally, 

 the pust-orliital Ik.I.s of tlie eranimn, so conspicnons in the trne crocodiles, are very minute in 

 the ailiuators, or even entirely xsaiitinu'." The eroeodiles, properly so called, on the contrary, 

 have tlie li.ad at least twice as long as il is broad; lilteen teeth on each side of the lower jaw, 

 an.l nineteen on each side of the u|)prr. Tlie incisor or front teeth, as in the ahigators, pierce 

 tl>roU!,di tlic upper jaw at a certain agi', hut the loiirth or largest of the lower jaw, instead of 

 l.cin>>-"receive<l into a c<«rresponding hole of the upper, passes int<> a notch on each side of it; 

 an«l linallv the hindl'cct ai-c hoi'(lciT<l \>y a denticulated fringe, and the toes are completely 

 united l>v'a swimming memhraiie. Notwithstanding these differences of conformation, the man- 

 ners of tiie crocixliles and alligators are very simihii-, the former, however, attaining a greater size 

 tlv.in the latter. 



THE ALLIGATOR. 



The Mississippi Alligator, A. Mississij^piensiis, sometimes called Plke-hcadcd Alligator, inliabits 

 the rivers and lagoons of the Gulf States. It grows to the length of fourteen or j&fteen feet, the j 

 head being one-seventh of the entire Icngtli, and half as broad at the articulation of the jaws as it 

 is long. It appears to be more fierce and voracious than the South American species, often attacks I 

 men and quadrupeds while bathing or crossing the rivers, and is said to prefer the flesh of ' 

 the negro to all other food. During the heat of the day, these animals either lie stretched and 

 languid on the banks, or in the mud on the shores of the rivers and lagoons, and as the other 

 natives of such localities — the winged ones which sport in the sun excepted — are generally at 

 rest at these times, the consequence is, that, during the day, they capture but few animals, ex- j 

 cepting such as wander near them. When evening comes, however, they begin to move, and ' 

 the roaring of the larger ones is terrific. It is described as a compound of the sounds of the bull 

 and the bittern, but far louder than either ; and it grates and shivers on the ear as if the ground 

 were shaking. Whether it produces any effect upon the prey of tlie alligators, in making that j 

 prey disclose itself by its efforts to escape, is not known ; and, indeed, harsh and terrific as it is, 



