﻿340 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  to 
  June; 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  West 
  Africa, 
  from 
  September 
  to 
  January. 
  The 
  young 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  are 
  sometimes 
  called 
  "chicken 
  turtles." 
  

  

  Habits. 
  — 
  This 
  turtle 
  is 
  very 
  graceful 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  is 
  fond 
  of 
  sleeping 
  on 
  the 
  surface, 
  in 
  

   which 
  condition 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  captured 
  by 
  turtle 
  hunters. 
  Holbrook 
  was 
  impressed 
  with 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  "animals 
  so 
  low 
  in 
  the 
  scale 
  of 
  creation, 
  should 
  have 
  the 
  instinct 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  their 
  haunts 
  

   from 
  great 
  distances, 
  hundreds 
  and 
  even 
  thousands 
  of 
  miles." 
  He 
  says 
  : 
  "Dr. 
  Strobel 
  informed 
  

   me 
  that 
  several 
  Turtles 
  were 
  captured 
  at 
  Tortugas, 
  marked, 
  and 
  carried 
  to 
  Key 
  West, 
  there 
  

   confined 
  in 
  a 
  turtle-pen 
  or 
  'crawl,' 
  which 
  was 
  destroyed 
  by 
  a 
  storm; 
  the 
  animals 
  escaped, 
  

   and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  were 
  recaptured 
  at 
  the 
  Tortugas." 
  Ditmars 
  (1907, 
  p. 
  9) 
  relates 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  regarding 
  the 
  actions 
  of 
  a 
  captive 
  Green 
  Turtle: 
  "From 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  turtles 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  

   shipped 
  north 
  and 
  were 
  lying 
  upon 
  their 
  backs 
  for 
  fully 
  a 
  week, 
  the 
  writer 
  selected 
  a 
  specimen 
  

   weighing 
  forty-five 
  pounds 
  and 
  placed 
  it 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  tank 
  containing 
  manufactured 
  salt 
  water 
  — 
  

   enough 
  salt 
  added 
  to 
  fresh 
  water 
  to 
  give 
  it 
  a 
  brackish 
  taste. 
  On 
  the 
  second 
  day 
  in 
  the 
  tank 
  

   the 
  turtle 
  began 
  feeding, 
  greedily 
  taking 
  large 
  pieces 
  of 
  raw 
  fish; 
  it 
  also 
  ate 
  the 
  commoner 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  sea-weed. 
  Under 
  these 
  conditions 
  it 
  lived 
  for 
  nearly 
  two 
  years 
  and 
  would 
  have 
  thrived 
  

   longer 
  had 
  it 
  not 
  been 
  attacked 
  by 
  a 
  small 
  crocodile. 
  The 
  tank 
  was 
  ten 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  eight 
  

   feet 
  wide 
  and 
  the 
  animal 
  swam 
  about 
  freely 
  and 
  gracefully; 
  its 
  dehberate 
  motions, 
  slow 
  turns, 
  

   the 
  occasional 
  stroke 
  of 
  the 
  flippers 
  and 
  slow, 
  gliding 
  progress, 
  were 
  movements 
  strikingly 
  

   suggestive 
  of 
  the 
  leisurely 
  flight 
  of 
  a 
  hawk 
  or 
  a 
  tiu-key 
  buzzard. 
  The 
  reptile 
  seldom 
  crawled 
  

   upon 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  tank, 
  but 
  skimmed 
  over 
  the 
  gravel 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  inches; 
  occasionally 
  it 
  

   came 
  to 
  the 
  top, 
  when 
  it 
  would 
  expel 
  the 
  air 
  in 
  its 
  lungs 
  with 
  a 
  sharp 
  hiss; 
  the 
  intake 
  of 
  air 
  

   was 
  more 
  leisurely." 
  

  

  Food. 
  — 
  From 
  the 
  above 
  account 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  this 
  turtle 
  under 
  certain 
  conditions 
  is 
  

   onmivorous, 
  but 
  in 
  its 
  natxu-al 
  state 
  is 
  probably 
  herbivorous. 
  Audubon 
  (Ornithological 
  Bio- 
  

   graphy, 
  1835, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  p. 
  374) 
  describes 
  their 
  feeding 
  on 
  marine 
  plants, 
  especially 
  one 
  called 
  

   turtle-grass 
  {Zostera 
  marina) 
  ; 
  this 
  they 
  cut 
  near 
  the 
  roots 
  to 
  procure 
  the 
  most 
  tender 
  and 
  

   succulent 
  part, 
  which 
  alone 
  is 
  eaten, 
  while 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  floats 
  to 
  the 
  sm-face 
  and 
  is 
  there 
  

   collected 
  in 
  large 
  fields, 
  "a 
  sure 
  indication 
  that 
  the 
  feeding 
  ground 
  of 
  the 
  Green 
  Turtle 
  is 
  near." 
  

   They 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  roll 
  these 
  plants, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  adherent 
  mud, 
  into 
  balls 
  "of 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  

   head, 
  and 
  these 
  balls, 
  receding 
  with 
  the 
  tide, 
  are 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  turtles." 
  Purslane 
  {Portu- 
  

   lacca 
  oleracea) 
  and 
  various 
  marine 
  plants 
  have 
  formed 
  the 
  diet 
  of 
  captive 
  specimens. 
  

  

  Enemies. 
  — 
  Man 
  is 
  their 
  greatest 
  enemy. 
  The 
  turtles 
  are 
  hunted 
  at 
  all 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  

   year, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  the 
  greatest 
  inroads 
  are 
  made. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   while 
  laying 
  their 
  eggs 
  the 
  turtles 
  can 
  be 
  approached 
  mthout 
  caution, 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  

   at 
  these 
  times 
  by 
  the 
  hundreds. 
  Audubon 
  cites 
  an 
  instance 
  of 
  800 
  having 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  one 
  

   year 
  by 
  one 
  man 
  to 
  be 
  sold 
  for 
  food. 
  When 
  taken 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  turned 
  on 
  their 
  

   back, 
  and 
  are 
  then 
  unable 
  to 
  re-turn. 
  This 
  turning 
  of 
  turtles 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  as 
  a 
  "cruel 
  

  

  