The Biology of the Crocodilia 35 
ready to hatch. Such eggs may readily be hatched 
by simply keeping them moist and at a fairly 
constant temperature, as has been previously 
noted. Besides the above uses Ditmars says: 
“The eggs are eaten in many portions of the South, 
and the search for eggs at the proper season fur- 
nishes profitable employment for many persons, 
as each nest contains a large number of eggs.” 
Never having eaten an alligator egg I cannot 
speak from personal experience of its flavor; but 
it has always seemed strange to me that more use 
is not made of the flesh of the alligator. This 
flesh is often said to have too strong a flavor to be 
palatable; I have eaten it when it had no such 
rank taste but was decidedly agreeable, being, as 
might perhaps be expected of so amphibious an 
animal, somewhat like both fish and flesh, yet not 
exactly like either. Perhaps greater care should 
be taken in skinning an animal that is to be used 
for food in order that the flesh be not tainted with 
the musk. It may be a lack of care in preparation 
that has given rise to the impression that alligator 
meat is too strong to be pleasant. It is perhaps, 
also, the “idea”’ of eating a reptile that makes 
the meat unpopular. A half-grown boy, who was 
once in the swamps with me, had expressed a great 
aversion to alligator meat, so the guide, one day, 
offered him a nicely fried piece of alligator meat, 
saying it was fish; the meat was eaten with evident 
relish and the diner was not told until after a 
