290 REPTILES OF BERMUDA. 



temperate autl torrid zones long enough before our race is said to have 

 taken its first lessons of navigation in boats made of their gigantic 

 shells. Of two of the four, Mr. Jones says that the Green, Chelonia 

 mydas, is "the common turtle of the Bermudas," but "not abundant"; 

 and the Hawkbill, Eretmochelys imbricata., is " not unfrequently taken." 



The other two, the Leather Back, Sphargis coriacea, and the Logger- 

 hf I, Thalaasochelys caonana, are only occasional visitors. They were 

 ^r',, placed upon the list by Professor Goode, 1S77. Below I have 

 quoted from a number of accounts of the Bermudas and their life by 

 the pens of those who wrote during the first half century of the exist- 

 ence of the colony. These quotations give a fair idea of the abundance, 

 habits, and capture of turtles in those early days. Below them is 

 l^laced all that could be gathered in the West Indies and among the 

 Florida Keys, where the turtles are still numerous, but where, as was 

 the case in the Bermudas, reckless destruction is gradually reducing 

 their numbers. 



The history of the Bermuda reptiles reaches back to a very early 

 date in that of the islands themselves. December 17, 1593, the French 

 vessel, commanded by de la Barbotiere, was wrecked upon the Isle of 

 Bermuda, and it was not until the 11th of the following May that the 

 crew was able to get away, which they finally did in a vessel of their 

 own make. Henry May, an Englishman who happened to be with the 

 party, furnished an account of the adventure and the construction of 

 the vessel, in which occurs the following: 



"In stead of pitch we made lime, and mixed it with the oyl of tor- 

 toises, and as soone as the carpenters had calked, I and another, with 

 ech of vs a small sticke in our hands, did plaister the mortar into the 

 seames, and being in Ai)ril, when it was warm and faire weather, we 

 could no sooner lay it on, but it was dry, and as hard as a stone. In 

 this moneth of April 1594, the weather being very hot, we were afraj'd 

 our water should fayle vs; and therefore made the more haste away; 

 and at our departure we were constrayned to make two great chests, 

 and calked them, and stowed them on ech side of our mainmaste, and 

 so put in our prouision of raine water, and thirteen line tortoises for our 

 food, for our voyage which we intended to ivTewfoundlaud. In the 

 South part of this Island of Bermuda there are hogs, but they are so 

 leane that you cannot eat them, by reason the Island is so barren, but 

 it yieldeth great store of fowle, fish and tortoises." 



An anonymous writer, in an account of the loss of the ship of Sir 



