144 CHILDHOOD OF ANIMALS 



great quantities chiefly because of the oil which is extracted from 

 them, has the curious habit of laying in communal nests. At the 

 breeding season, the females leave the water and go to sandy banks, 

 generally on islands in the rivers. A female excavates a hole about 

 three feet deep and lays over a hundred eggs in it, covering them up 

 with sand. A second and a third female then lay their eggs in 

 successive layers, covering them up, and so on until the hole is 

 filled. The female soft-shelled turtle of the Southern States of 

 North America leaves the water and selects a suitable bank, into 

 which she burrows, remaining for several days with only her snout 

 protruding. During this time she lays several dozen eggs, and 

 then crawls out carefully so as to leave them covered up. 



In crocodiles and alligators brood-care is further advanced. The 

 eggs are large, oval and hard-shelled and are laid in a carefully 

 selected or prepared place, out of the water, and both the eggs 

 and the young are frequently savagely protected by the mother. 

 The Indian gharial digs a nest in the dry sand, arranging the eggs 

 in layers and carefully covering them. The Nilotic crocodile makes 

 a circular nest in the sand about two feet deep, with a raised floor 

 and undercut walls, so that the eggs when they are laid roll from 

 the centre under the protection of the wall. The first layer is 

 covered with sand and a second layer then added, and the whole 

 covered up. The mother remains on the nest to guard it, returning 

 to it after her visits to the water in search of food. When the 

 young are nearly ready to hatch, they make a barking noise inside 

 the shell ; this is said to attract the attention of the mother and 

 to bring her back to the nest. She takes the young to the water 

 when they have hatched and guards them against their many 

 enemies for a considerable time. The female of the Mississippi 

 alligator makes a nest of leaves and soil a few feet high and deposits 

 several layers of eggs, afterwards covering them. She is said to 

 take no further notice of the young when they are hatched. 



The young of aU the alligators and crocodiles are hatched in a 

 lively and vigorous condition, and are able to snap rather savagely 

 almost before they leave the shell. I have personal experience 

 only of young alligators. These are very easily tamed, and quickly 

 learn to distinguish between persons, taking dislikes to individuals 

 and always snapping at them and refusing to be handled, whilst with 

 others they are gentle and docile. They make a loud barking noise 

 to attract attention. It is known that the mothers protect the 

 young in the case of some species of crocodiles, and I am inclined 



