Ancient Giants 151 



that appealed to him. So wading through the 

 morass and putting his small front feet down on 

 the muddy slope left by the retreating tide, the 

 narrow strip between its ebb and flow, he drew 

 himself out of the water, and lifting his body but 

 a few feet above the mud, he dragged his huge 

 tail through it, leaving a well marked trail be- 

 hind. His pose to me was very interesting, as I 

 had come to the conclusion from my study of the 

 "mummy," that this was his natural gait, though 

 most American Paleontologists believe, that their 

 usual pose was standing erect on the hind limbs, 

 the front legs used chiefly for balancing. As he 

 reached the fringe of bushes he pushed his duck- 

 bill through them, nosing around as if to scent 

 some enemy. Then as the coast seemed clear, 

 he hurries across the narrow strip, beneath the 

 silent evergreens. 



The cooling touch of morning breeze, 



Waft incense from a censor hidden, 



The gentle sighing of the trees 



Add music to the scene unbidden. 



As he hies him away "to fresh scenes and pas- 

 tures green." 



But hark a noise that thrills me, what can it 

 mean? 



I hear the crush of mighty frame. 



The Tiger of the Everglades: 



As onward through the brush he came, 



And through the swamp and moss he wades, 



