24 CROCODILES AND ALLIGATORS 



blow, the five Alligators in our Reptile House lift their heads 

 out of the water at an angle of 45°, and bellow, or roar, in 

 coneert four or five times, making a truly unearthly noise. 

 "Old Mose" was an excellent living understudy of "Pfafner," 

 the bellowing dragon of Wagner's "Siegfried." 



The Chinese Alligator was discovered in 1870 by 

 Swinhoe, and described by Fauvel in 1879. It is quite 

 strange that the nearest living relative of our alligator should 

 live in the Yang-tse-Kiang River, in China; but it appears 

 to be true. It is a small species, only about 6 feet in length, 

 of a greenish-black color, dotted with yellow. A specimen 

 in the author's possession so closely resembles our American 

 species that specific differences are difficult to point out. 



