ALL 
of a tennis-ball, and of the fame figure, covered 
with a tough white fkin refembling parchment. 
This ta{l<; Ihe performs in about an hour: after 
which, Ihe covers her eggs with the utmoft care 
and art; and leaves them till the next day; when 
jQie ufes the fame precaution as before, and lays 
about the fam/e number of eggs ; and, the day fol- 
lowing, as many more. At laft, having depoficed 
her whole quantity^ and carefully concealed them 
in the fand, they are foon vivified by the heat of 
the fun ; and, at the expiration of thirty days, the 
young begin to burft their iliells. At this time the 
female appears to be inftinftively taught that her 
young require relief; and ihe therefore proceeds to 
fcratch away the fand, and to fet them at liberty. 
Her brood, quickly availing themfelves of the free- 
dom they have gained, part of them naturally run 
to the water ; while the more feeble afcend the fe- 
male's back, and are carried thither in greater fe- 
curity. But no fooner do they arrive in the water, 
than both the female and the male immediately 
become their moft formidable enemies, devouring 
as many of them as they can. The whole brood 
is fcattered up and down at the bottom of the ri- 
ver; by far the greateft part are deftroyed; and 
thofe who furvive efcape either through their ex- 
treme minutenefs or iliperior agility. 
Nor is the propogation of the Alligator ob- 
ftrudled by it's own fpecies alone ; the eggs are 
not only a delicious feaft to the favage, but are 
eagerly fought after by every beaft and bird of 
prey. The ancient Egyptians worfhipped the ich- 
neumon as a deity, becaufe of it's fuccefs in de- 
ftroying the eggs of the Alligator. At prefent, 
however, that fpecies of vulture called the galli- 
nazo is it's moft potent enemy. All along the 
banks of great rivers, in the tropical regions, the 
Alligator propagates it's fpecies in fuch numbers 
tliat, were it not for the vulture, a carnivorous bird 
which feems appointed by Providence to abridge 
their fecundity, the earth would foon be over-run 
with them. Thefe birds are ever found in greateft: 
numbers v/here the Alligators are moft numerous ; 
and, hiding themielves within the thick branches 
of trees which overftiade the banks of rivers, they 
there watch the female in patient filence, and per- 
mit them to depofit their eggs in the fand without 
interruption : but no fooner are they retired, than 
they provoke one another to the fpoil ; and, flock- 
ing round the hidden treafure, tear up the eggs, 
and devour them in an inftant. Nor are they lefs 
diligent in their attendance while the females are 
conducing their young to the water; for, ftiould 
any of them drop by the way, they are fure to be 
immediately devoured by the vultures. 
Such are the extraordinary accounts given us by 
modern travellers of the propagation of this ani- 
mal, which have in general been adopted by Lin- 
naeus, and the moft inquifitive naturalifts of the 
age, pardcularly Ulloa: yet, were we difpoled to 
argue from the general analogy of nature, the Alli- 
gator's devouring her own young as foon as flie 
has conduced them to their natural element, feems 
very doubtful, and even improbable. The general 
idea of this animal's rapacious cruelty may have 
given birth to the ftory; whereas, in fa6t, the Al- 
ligator leems no more mifchievous than other ani- 
mals, but in proportion to it's fuperior ft-rength. 
It is highly probable that it pofiefles the fame fen- 
fations of parental tendernefs as other animals ; at 
ieaft, we are not furniflied with fufficient evidence 
to the conti^ary. 
To what age the Alligator's life may be pro- 
tra6tcd, we are not certainly informed: hov\^ever, 
if we may credit AiifLbtlc, the Alligator is coeval 
with man. But the ancients, either from a blind 
credulity, or a love of amufive 'fables refpe6ling this 
animal, have invented fo many fi6lions, that even 
truth from them becomes iufpicious. What we 
know for certain from the ancients is, diat, among 
the various animals, which fought in the amphi- 
theatre at Rome, the Alligator was not wanting. 
M. Scaurus produced them alive in his unrivalled 
exhibitions; and fuch was the ftate of luxury and 
enervation into which the Romans were then fallen, 
that they regarded him as the befc citizen, becaufe 
he amufed them with the moft extravagant enter- 
tainments. 
ALLIGATOR, OPEN-BELLIED. This 
animal has nothing effentially different from the 
reft of the fpecies, except an open purfe or pouch 
in the middle of it's belly, which feems defigned 
by nature as a retreat for it's young in time of 
danger; a circumftance which ftrongly inclines 
us to believe that the Alligator is not fo unna- 
tural as it is coiT.monly reprefented. Except 
in this fingular diftinclion, this animal has all 
the common marks of the Alligator already de- 
fcribed : namely, a particularly ftrong, fquare co- 
vering of fcales on the back ; which, in the young 
ones, appears diftin6l and regular; but, in the old, 
becomes knobbed and rough; and in having frnall 
round and oval fcales on the fides, and a fcaly 
belly. It is alfo furniflied'with fins on the out- 
fides of it's fore and hinder legs; and with two rows 
of fins on the fuperior part of the tail, which begin 
extremely fmall at the fetting on of the tail, and 
increafe gradually as they advance towards the 
middle, where they unite, andfo continue to the ex- 
tremity. The tail is roundifh at it's beginning} 
but, from the middle, where the two rows of fins 
unite, it is flatted like an oar. The fore-feet have 
each of them five toes, but the hinder only four; a 
diftinftion comirion to the crocodile tribe. In the 
fore and hinder feet, only the third and fourth toes 
are webbed together. The eyes are very prominent, 
and are fo contrived as to be elevated above the 
water while the reft of the animal is wliolly under 
it ; in order, probably, to watch it's prey lefs per- 
ceptibly on the furface of the water, or on the banks 
and fliores of rivers. The head is covered with fe- 
veral fcales ; and the fnout is finely creafed tranf- 
verfely. Mr. Edwards was the firft naturalift who 
ever defcribed or noticed this fpecies. 
ALOPECIAS. A name of the vulpes marina 
or fea-fox. 
ALOPECOPITHECOS. A name derived 
from the Greek ; ufed by Aldrovandus and others 
to denote that fingular animal the opofiiim. 
ALOPEX. A fpecies of dog diftinguifhed by 
a ftraight tail tipped with black, commonly known 
by the name of the field-fox. 
ALOSE. A kind of fifli refembling the far- 
dine or pilchard, but much larger. Some affirm 
it to be the fame with the fnad; but it is evidently 
another fpecies of fifti, and very fcarce in Britain. 
It is one of thofe called pafiage-fiflies, or fifh of a 
feafon, becaule it never enters the rivers except in 
the vernal months. The roes of this fifh being- 
held in as high eftimadon in the Eaft Indies as 
thofe of thefturgeon in RufTia, they form a very 
lucrative article of commerce, and are often ferved 
up at the tables of Afiatic luxury. 
ALPAGNA. An animal which refembles the 
- llamas 
