Miscellaneous. 509 



turned upwards, and surrounded by a circle of nine scales ; 

 eleven upper labials, third deepest and extending to the loreal 

 groove ; two large shields between the three following labials 

 and the loreal groove, the second of which enters the eye ; four- 

 teen lower labials. A mental groove. Scales smooth, in 39 

 longitudinal series. Ventrals about 180 ; subcaudals 20. 

 Anal spurs well developed. Tail once and a half the length 

 of the head, pointed, ending in a curved, claw-like, horny scute 

 similar to the anal spurs. Greyish brown above, with 

 whitish spots and numerous, rather irregular, dark brown 

 cross bands ; head dotted with dark brown ; lower parts 

 white. 



Total length 40 centim. 



A single specimen. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



The Nest and Eggs of the Alligator (Alligator lucius, Cuv.). 

 By Prof. Samuel F. Claeke, Williams College, Mass. U. S. 



It is somewhat remarkable that so promising a field of inquiry as 

 that of reptilian embryology should have been so generally neglected ; 

 and it is certainly remarkable that almost nothing is known of the 

 development of the Crocodilia or Loricata, the largest and most highly 

 organized of the reptiles. The eggs and young alligators are such 

 common objects in the shop windows in many of the Southern States 

 that it appeared to be a simple matter to secure the eggs at the right 

 time and in abundance. It proved, on the contrary, to be very diffi- 

 cult. I was assured by various hunters in Florida that each month 

 from January to September inclusive was the only month in which 

 the alligators lay their eggs, and this resulted in my having to make 

 two journeys of over 2600 miles each. 



At the time of my fii'st visit, the first week in April, no eggs had 

 been laid, and the ovaries of adult female alligators were full of eggs 

 of all sizes up to 26 millim. in diameter. I returned to Florida on 

 June 4, and found that I was still somewhat early, as the nests 

 were then being built. With the aid of five experienced hunters I 

 at last succeeded in finding, on the 9th of Jnne, a nest evidently 

 just completed in which there were twenty-nine eggs. The next 

 day, at a point 40 miles further north, a second nest was found 

 with thirty-one eggs. 



There were many nests found, old and new, but only these two 

 contained eggs. 



The nests vary much in size, the largest being about 2| metres in 

 diameter at the base and 80 centim. high in the central part, the 

 whole having the shape of a rounded cone ; they are located gene- 

 rally ou a slightly elevated place, which is higher by a metre, or 

 slightly more, than the surrounding level, and covered with a thick 



