hawk"'s-bill turtle. 9 



many purposes of ornament and use in which it is constantly 

 employed. 



The history of this species as a British visitant is confined 

 to the mere notice of its accidental occurrence on three dif- 

 ferent occasions on the shores of Great Britain. Sibbald 

 states that he received the shell of one Avhicli "^ came into 

 Orkney ;" Dr. Fleming says, " I have credible testimony of 

 its having been taken at Papa Stour, one of the West Zetland 

 Islands ;'"* and the late Dr. Turton has mentioned an in- 

 stance of one which " in the year 1774 was taken in the 

 Severn, and placed in the fish-ponds of the author's father, 

 where it lived till winter." 



It is found about the islands and coasts both of the Indian 

 and Atlantic Oceans, wdiere it occurs in considerable abund- 

 ance , its flesh is said to be unpalatable, but the eggs are 

 considered a great delicacy. It does not generally attain to 

 more than one-third the size of the Green Turtle. 



The shell of this species is depressed, rather longer in 

 proportion to its breadth than the other sjDecies, and some- 

 what heart-shaped. It is covered with thirteen imbricated 

 plates, each of which in the young state has the apex pointed ; 

 but in older individuals this is entirely worn away. The 

 margin has plates, which are prominent at the posterior and 

 exterior angle, especially those towards the hinder part, so 

 as to form sharp and strong denticulations. The under side, 

 or sternum, has twelve plates ; and there are two carinse 

 which run through its whole length from the anterior to the 

 posterior margin ; these ridges, however, are w^orn off by age ; 

 but they w^ere very evident in the individual from which 

 the present figures were taken, and which I had alive for a 

 short time in my possession. The head is rather elongated, 

 flattened above, and compressed at the sides in front of the 

 eyes, so that the beak is less arched than in any other species 

 of the genus. The head is covered with fourteen scales, to 



