FLORIDA ALLIGATORS.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:1 SIE,—In behalf of the Florida alligators, I wish to offer a word of explanation in reply to imputations seemingly east upon them by the Spectator of April 2nd, in an article entitled "Crocodiles." By a too facile descent your writer, sliding from crocodiles to our " 'gators," would seem to attri- bute to them the vicious disposition of the crocodile. But the " 'gator," unless driven to the wall—and there are no walls in South Florida—is an inoffensive animal. He wants only to be let alone. Rowing a boat in a river, you have to be very quick with your oars to enable you to approach near enough to get a good view of one as he lies on the bank. " 'Gators " are as fond of dogs as some of the contributors to the Spectator are, and will as readily snap up a fine specimen, but I have never heard of a "gator" attacking a man unless provoked. They are now rapidly disappearing from the inhabited parts even of South Florida, and to get a good "haul" the hunters have to go to the Everglades. But your writer is accurate as to the fine fishing and the "exquisite" climate. Indeed, he might have applied this adjective to the fish ; for to the pompano and the Spanish mackerel, as found on the Gulf Coast, the finest of Northern fish, as dainties, are as all other ducks are to the canvas-back, or all other turtles to the diamond-back terrapin.—I am, Sir,
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