TURTLES, TERRAPINS, AND TORTOISES 35 



The Hawksbill Turtle, Chelone imbricata, also a 

 powerful swimmer, inhabiting all the tropical and sub- 

 tropical seas, only coming to shore at the breeding season, 

 derives its English name from its prolonged hooked snout. 

 The carapace, the shields of which are more or less imbri- 

 cate, is marbled yellow and dark brown. It is a somewhat 

 smaller species than the Green Turtle, the shell of adult 

 specimens rarely measuring more than three feet in 

 length. 



Although not edible, this animal is highly esteemed on 

 account of its horny shields affording the substance known 

 as " tortoise-shell." According to Sir Edward Tennent, 

 the cruel method is employed in Ceylon of suspending the 

 living turtle over fires, until the heat detaches the plates 

 from the bone of the carapace, after which the creature 

 is put back in the water, it being erroneously believed to 

 return again with a regenerated shell. It appears that if 

 the latter be removed after death the colour becomes 

 cloudy and milky, and therefore useless from a commercial 

 point of view. 



An interesting account of the fishery resources of the 

 Philippine Islands, which contains some interesting in- 

 formation on this turtle, has been given recently by Mr. 

 Alvin Seale. During the year 1909 there were exported 

 from the Philippines 2,040 kilograms of tortoise-shell. 

 While a small number of turtles are caught vdth hook, 

 net, spear, or trap, by far the greater number are captured 

 when they come to shore in order to deposit their eggs, 

 the animals being killed without being given a chance to 

 lay, a short-sighted policy, which, unless the turtles are 

 protected during the breeding season, which is from May 



