TIIE FLORIDA CROCODILE 
321 
from the funereal black of the alligator. This 
difference in color between our crocodiles and alli- 
gators is so marked it is quite noticeable at a dis- 
tance of 200 feet, or more. 
The Florida Crocodile digs burrows in the 
sandy banks of the Miami River, and other deep 
streams where the ground is suitable. These 
lairs are used as hiding-places, resting-places, 
and doubtless also as warm retreats in which to 
escape the cold waves from the north, which 
about once every five years produce killing frosts 
as far south as Miami. 
that he has become very expert in making capt- 
ures. For $50 he will at any time take out a 
party of “tourists,” go to a Crocodile’s burrow, 
and with a noose, capture the reptile alive and 
unhurt. In each case he guarantees that the 
Crocodile shall exceed nine feet in length. He 
locates the burrows in advance, by probing for 
them in the sand, with a sharp-pointed iron rod. 
With this iron rod, the reptile is driven out of its 
lair, and rarely does Joe fail to make a capture 
“as advertised.” 
Many other persons in Florida have captured 
E. R- Sanborn, Photo, New York Zoological Park. 
FLORIDA CROCODILE. 
The entrances to these burrows are either 
under water, or half submerged, and they extend 
into the bank from ten to thirty feet. At their 
extremity, they are widened out sufficiently to 
permit the owner to turn around. Usually, the 
banks are so low that the top of a burrow is only 
about two feet below the surface. 
This burrowing habit of the Florida Crocodile 
has led to a very droll and uncommon industry. 
A young man named “Alligator Joe,” of Palm 
Beach and Miami, knows his game so thoroughly 
crocodiles and alligators in their burrows, by 
means of a long pole of tough wood with a strong 
and very sharp iron hook lashed on one end. 
When this pole is thrust into a burrow the reptile 
bites it viciously, and holds on stubbornly. But 
even if inclined to let go, the sharp hook engages 
the tongue or other portions of the mouth, and 
thus the creature is dragged by sheer force into 
the hands of his captors, and bound with ropes. 
The Cuban Crocodile 1 is a small species, 
1 Croc-o-di'lus rhom'bi-fer . 
