284 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



are made entirely by hand, the polish is produced by 

 the use of rough leaves from native trees. This pro- 

 cess, though slow, produces a beautiful lustrous 

 finish. The horny shields of other turtles are some- 

 times used as tortoise-shell, but they are either 

 opaque, or soft and leathery, and therefore poor 

 imitations. 



The loggerhead turtle, which has already been 

 mentioned, is a carnivorous reptile, feeding largely 

 on fish. It reaches a large size; individuals with 

 a shell three and a half feet long and a weight 

 of five hundred pounds have been reported. The 

 loggerhead also inhabits warm seas and is common as 

 far north as North Carolina and ranges even to 

 Massachusetts. It is of limited value, for as has 

 already been stated, its meat is not extensively 

 shipped to the larger markets, although it is eaten by 

 people living along the sea-shore. Its eggs are quite 

 extensively sought and are sold locally. The upper 

 sliell is brownish and the lower one yellowish. The 

 shields of the upper sliell are opaque and of little 

 or no value. 



Kemp's turtle, also known as hawk's-bill in some 

 regions, is one of the smaller turtles. It inhabits the 

 Gulf of Mexico and ranges northward to New Jersey. 

 Its meat is considered superior to that of the logger- 

 head by many persons, but its commercial value is 

 only slight. 



The largest of all turtles is the luth or leathery 

 turtle, most common in tropical seas and ranging 

 northward on our coast to Maine. It reaches a length 

 of eight feet and a weight of a thousand to sixteen 



