On The 28th We Slept At A Spot On The Right Bank From Which Had Just Emerged
Two Broods Of Alligators.
We had seen many young ones as we came up,
so this seems to be their time of coming
Forth from the nests,
for we saw them sunning themselves on sand-banks in company with the old ones.
We made our fire in one of the deserted nests, which were strewed all over
with the broken shells. At the Zouga we saw sixty eggs taken
out of one such nest alone. They are about the size of those of a goose,
only the eggs of the alligator are of the same diameter at both ends,
and the white shell is partially elastic, from having a strong
internal membrane and but little lime in its composition. The distance
from the water was about ten feet, and there were evidences of the same place
having been used for a similar purpose in former years. A broad path led up
from the water to the nest, and the dam, it was said by my companions,
after depositing the eggs, covers them up, and returns afterward
to assist the young out of the place of confinement and out of the egg.
She leads them to the edge of the water, and then leaves them
to catch small fish for themselves. Assistance to come forth
seems necessary, for here, besides the tough membrane of the shell,
they had four inches of earth upon them; but they do not require
immediate aid for food, because they all retain a portion of yolk,
equal to that of a hen's egg, in a membrane in the abdomen,
as a stock of nutriment, while only beginning independent existence
by catching fish. Fish is the principal food of both small and large,
and they are much assisted in catching them by their broad, scaly tails.
Sometimes an alligator, viewing a man in the water from the opposite bank,
rushes across the stream with wonderful agility, as is seen
by the high ripple he makes on the surface caused by his rapid motion
at the bottom; but in general they act by stealth, sinking underneath
as soon as they see man. They seldom leave the water to catch prey,
but often come out by day to enjoy the pleasure of basking in the sun.
In walking along the bank of the Zouga once, a small one,
about three feet long, made a dash at my feet, and caused me
to rush quickly in another direction; but this is unusual,
for I never heard of a similar case. A wounded leche,
chased into any of the lagoons in the Barotse valley,
or a man or dog going in for the purpose of bringing out a dead one,
is almost sure to be seized, though the alligators may not appear
on the surface. When employed in looking for food they keep out of sight;
they fish chiefly by night. When eating, they make a loud, champing noise,
which when once heard is never forgotten.
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