s of
laughter, followed by the clapping of hands. "What can it be?" thought
I, throwing down the newspaper I was reading, and running into the
corridor.

There I saw five or six little reptiles, about half the length of my
arm, that seemed to be running a race over the canvas carpet with which
the floor was covered. A number of people were looking on. They appeared
to be highly amused by the queer movements of the creatures.

"What are they? Lizards?" cried I.

"Lizards! No: they are young alligators," said a little girl, in a tone
that implied pity for my ignorance.

"Alligators!" said I, retreating in alarm, as one of them came towards
me.

"Oh, you coward!" cried the little girl, laughing. "They are too small
to hurt you. See me." And, saying this, she took one of them up in her
apron, and brought it towards me. I ran into the reading-room, and she
ran after me; but when she saw that I was really afraid of the reptile,
she took it back to the corridor, and placed it on the floor.

These little alligators grow to be huge creatures, sometimes more than
twenty feet long. They live in the creeks and little rivers that run
into the St. John's. They rarely go very far from the shore. They live
partly on land and partly in the water.

In Florida the weather in January is often quite as warm as it is in the
Northern States in June. So on a fine winter day, my father took my
sister and me on board the steamer "Mayflower" for a trip upon the St.
John's River, and up some of the small streams, where alligators may be
found.

We went some thirty miles towards the south, and then turned into a
small river, where the scenery on both sides resembled that given in the
picture. Cypress-swamps and high trees overgrown with moss everywhere
met our view. On the banks, and generally on fallen logs, might be seen
alligators basking in the sun.

Many of the passengers in the steamboat had brought pistols and guns,
with which to fire at the poor alligators. This is a very cruel and
useless sport, for the alligators do no harm to anybody. I saw ladies
and young girls firing at them. We passed some fifty alligators on our
way.

Father and another gentleman took a boat, and rowed some distance up a
creek. There we saw an alligator with a young one by its side. The young
are very small, compared with the full-grown reptile. You can see from
the picture, that the alligator is not handsome; but that is no reason
why bullets should b