While in the old days, as has been said, the alligator was common in the larger rivers and lakes, and may even have ventured short distances into salt water, he must now frequently be satisfied to hide his great body in a “’gator hole” that is scarcely more than a puddle. These “holes” (Fig. 7) are common in central Florida and are sometimes scarcely large enough to allow the alligator to dive into them to seek the underground cave in which he hides. It is on the edge of such a hole that the nest is built, as will be described later. Often from a small swamp or slough alligator “trails” lead off in different directions. These trails are narrow, winding gullies such as might be made by cattle in a damp pasture. If followed from the main slough the trail will usually be found to end in a “hole,” in which an alligator will probably be found (Fig. 7). In a great swamp like the Everglades or the Okefinokee such holes would naturally not be found. On one side of the hole is usually a smooth place where the vegetation is worn away; it is here that the ’gator “pulls out” to sleep in the sun; and wary must the hunter be to approach within sight of the animal before being seen or heard by him. At the first alarm he slides quietly or plunges quickly into the muddy water, and the hunter must wait long if he expects to see the ’gator come to the surface. The opening of the cave is always below the surface of the water, but it is possible that there may be a subterranean chamber that is not completely filled with water. How the animal is gotten from his cave will be described later. According to some writers the alligator retires to his cave to hibernate during the cooler winter months. This is possibly true in the more northerly limits of his range. It is well known that if kept in cool water the alligator will lie dormant and refuse all food for months at a time. The writer has had young alligators in captivity, under these conditions, that refused food from late in the autumn until nearly the first of April.