A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 697 



" Loggerhead Key," in the Bahamas, where it is said to grow abund- 

 antly. It is also said to be very fond of the great conch (Strombus 

 gigas), and to bite off the spire of the shell in order to extract the 

 meat. 



e. — The Leather-back; Trunk Turtle; Leather Turtle. (JSphargis 



coriacea (L.) Gray.) 



Figure 50. 



This huge turtle now occurs irregularly at Bermuda, but it prob- 

 ably bred there in early times, with the others. Its habits are similar 

 to those of the Loggerhead, and it has the same wide range, though 

 it is less common. 



On the American coast it has occasionally been taken as far north 

 as New England and Nova Scotia ; it migrates northwards in the 

 Gulf Stream and sometimes crosses to Europe. The Leather-backs 

 of the Indian and Pacific Oceans are believed to be the same species. 



It grows to a larger size than either of the other species, sometimes 

 weighing over 1600 pounds. Many specimens over 1000 pounds in 

 weight have been recorded ; such individuals are about 7 feet long. 



Gosse refers to the record, in the local paper, of a specimen cap- 

 tured in Jamaica, April 10, 1846, while laying its eggs. Five or six 

 dozen eggs, " the largest the size of a duck's egg,'''' were found in 

 the first nest, March 30th. The size was 6| feet long; 91 feet across 

 the flippers ; circumference of neck, 3^ feet ; length of hind flip- 

 pers, 2^ feet. 



f. — The Bermuda Lizard. (Eumeces longirostris Cope.) 



Figure 51. 



This lizard, which is a very active species, is by no means common, 

 except in particular localities. We saw very few lizards except on 

 Castle Island, where they are common among the ruins of the old 

 forts and walls, and also in crevices of the cliffs. Although they 

 may be frequently seen basking in the sun, it is difficult to obtain 

 specimens of them, except by shooting them with dust shot, though 

 a few were caught alive by turning over stones. They drop the tail 

 very readily. Two styles of coloration were noticed, both in the 

 living and preserved specimens. One of these varieties, which is 

 distinctly striped with two latero-dorsal light lines, was thought by 

 Mr. Garman* to be the young, but among those that we obtained 



* Mr. Garman in Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 25, p. 287, note, gives a detailed 

 description of this species. 



