PONDEROUS REPTILES 209 



inches of Old Mose 's tail ! And when he had 

 accomplished this, Old Mose was a different 

 being. He did not attempt to go after Num- 

 ber Two, or hurt him in any way; he crept 

 to one corner of the pool and stayed there, 

 a completely vanquished and subdued tyrant, 

 and just as meek as his namesake is supposed 

 to have been. 



Few can realize what enormous strength is 

 necessary to tear off the tail of an alligator, 

 and such a large alligator. A famous taxi- 

 dermist once told me that even he had never 

 realized how tough an alligator's skin was un- 

 til he mounted one. He then found that, 

 in closing up the opening in the stomach, in 

 order to insert the necessary stitches, he was 

 obliged to drill holes in the skin, nothing else 

 being found strong or forcible enough to do 

 it. And yet this young alligator had bitten 

 off fourteen inches of the tail of a full grown, 

 abnormally big, strong alligator ! 



Prom the time of this victory of Number 

 Two's, Old Mose turned over a new leaf; he 

 made no more rushes at any of the other alii- 



