146 NATURAL HISTORY OF AQUATIC ANIMALS. 



The grass was everywhere beaten down, hardly a blade or straw was left standing; whereas, all 

 about, at a distance, it was five or six feet high, and as thick as it could grow together.'" 



Economical talue. — The principal commercial products furnished by Alligators are leather, 

 ivory, oil, and musk. The first two are by far the most important. 



Alligator leather is quite impervious to water, and consequently a valuable material from 

 which to manufacture shoes and boots. Besides serving for these purposes, however, it is fire- 

 quently more carefully prepared and used in making articles which require a soft leather, such as 

 satchels, card cases, and the like, the oddity of its appearance being much admired. It has 

 many cheap imitations. Hides of large size and good quality bring about eight dollars in the 

 market. 



The ivory is obtained from the teeth. These are carved into a variety of forms, such as 

 whistles, buttons, and cane-handles, and also sold as jewelry. This iudustry is carried on prin- 

 cipally in Florida. 



Alligator oil, which is extracted from the fat of the animal, has been recommended for the 

 cure of quite a variety of diseases. 



The musk of the Alligator is obtained from glands situated in the lower jaw. It is not of the 

 beat quality, but serves as the basis of certain perfumes. 



The fishery. — In regard to the capture of Alligators in Florida for the products they 

 furnish, and their consequent diminution, a writer in " Forest and Stream " states : 



'■ Alligator hunting is growing "less and less successful in Florida as the game diminishes in 

 numbers. From being simply a pastime it has become a regular business, and thousands upon 

 thousands of these creatures are now annually slaughtered for the;r bides and teeth. The former 

 are converted into leather, and make a valuable commodity, while the teeth are manufactured into 

 various articles of use and ornament At the rate the alligator family is now disappearing, not 

 many years will elapse before the supply will be wholly exhausted, and the capture of an alligator 

 become an uncommon event in sporting life."^ 



Mode op capture. — There is but one mode of capturing Alligators, so far as I am aware, 

 namely, that of shooting them with the rifle. This is not so expeditious a method as would at first 

 appear. The iron-like hide of the upper surface of the reptile's body, with its rugged bosses, 

 secures him impunity against the ill-aimed shot. The eye is the most vulnerable spot, and it is 

 through this organ that the rifle-ball penetrates into the vital region, the brain. 



iBaetram: 0}}. (At., pp. 126,127. 



= " P. H. A." in Forest and Stream, vi, 1876, p. 264. 



