﻿344 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  Marion, 
  gives 
  the 
  following 
  account 
  of 
  one 
  method 
  of 
  capturing 
  these 
  turtles: 
  "An 
  iron 
  

   instrument, 
  which 
  he 
  called 
  a 
  peg 
  [is 
  used], 
  and 
  which 
  at 
  each 
  end 
  had 
  a 
  point 
  not 
  unUke 
  what 
  

   nail-makers 
  call 
  a 
  brad, 
  it 
  being 
  four-cornered 
  but 
  flattish, 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  shape 
  somewhat 
  resembUng 
  

   the 
  beak 
  of 
  an 
  Ivory-billed 
  Woodpecker, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  neck 
  and 
  shoulder. 
  Between 
  the 
  

   two 
  shoulders 
  of 
  this 
  instrument 
  a 
  fine 
  tough 
  hne, 
  fifty 
  or 
  more 
  fathoms 
  in 
  length, 
  was 
  fastened 
  

   by 
  one 
  end 
  being 
  passed 
  through 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  peg, 
  and 
  the 
  Une 
  itself 
  w-as 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  coiled 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  convenient 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  canoe. 
  One 
  extremity 
  of 
  this 
  peg 
  enters 
  

   a 
  sheath 
  of 
  iron 
  that 
  loosely 
  attaches 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  long 
  wooden 
  spear, 
  until 
  a 
  txu^,le 
  has 
  been 
  pierced 
  

   through 
  the 
  shell 
  by 
  the 
  other 
  extremity. 
  He 
  of 
  the 
  canoe 
  paddles 
  away 
  as 
  silently 
  as 
  possi- 
  

   ble 
  whenever 
  he 
  spies 
  a 
  turtle 
  basking 
  on 
  the 
  w^ater, 
  until 
  he 
  gets 
  within 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  ten 
  or 
  

   twelve 
  yards, 
  when 
  he 
  throws 
  the 
  spear 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  hit 
  the 
  animal 
  about 
  the 
  place 
  which 
  an 
  ento- 
  

   mologist 
  would 
  choose, 
  were 
  it 
  a 
  large 
  insect, 
  for 
  pinning 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  cork. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  

   turtle 
  is 
  struck, 
  the 
  wooden 
  handle 
  separates 
  from 
  the 
  peg, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  looseness 
  

   of 
  its 
  attachment." 
  Later 
  the 
  exhausted 
  turtle 
  is 
  drawn 
  in 
  by 
  hauling 
  on 
  the 
  line. 
  The 
  

   great 
  majority, 
  however, 
  are 
  captured 
  when 
  they 
  approach 
  the 
  beaches 
  to 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs. 
  

   Oftentimes 
  the 
  turtles 
  are 
  killed 
  before 
  laying, 
  a 
  custom 
  which 
  does 
  not 
  tend 
  toward 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   servation 
  of 
  the 
  race. 
  The 
  young 
  tvu-tles 
  and 
  eggs 
  are 
  exposed 
  to 
  danger 
  from 
  predaceous 
  

   fish, 
  birds, 
  and 
  mammals, 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  species. 
  

  

  Economic 
  Importance. 
  — 
  This 
  turtle 
  furnishes 
  the 
  "tortoise 
  shell" 
  of 
  commerce, 
  hence 
  

   its 
  high 
  economic 
  value. 
  The 
  thirteen 
  neural 
  and 
  costal 
  shields 
  are 
  used, 
  the 
  marginals 
  being 
  

   of 
  inferior 
  quaUty. 
  The 
  shields 
  take 
  a 
  very 
  high 
  polish. 
  Formerly 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  remo\ing 
  

   the 
  shields 
  w^as 
  a 
  very 
  cruel 
  one, 
  involving 
  a 
  hving 
  turtle. 
  Tennent 
  (1861, 
  p. 
  293) 
  thus 
  de- 
  

   scribes 
  it: 
  "If 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  animal 
  after 
  death 
  and 
  decomposition, 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  

   becomes 
  clouded 
  and 
  milky, 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  cruel 
  expedient 
  is 
  resorted 
  to 
  of 
  seizing 
  the 
  tm-tles 
  

   as 
  they 
  repair 
  to 
  the 
  shore 
  to 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs, 
  and 
  suspending 
  them 
  over 
  fires 
  till 
  heat 
  makes 
  

   the 
  plates 
  on 
  the 
  dorsal 
  shields 
  start 
  from 
  the 
  bone 
  of 
  the 
  carapace, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  creature 
  

   is 
  permitted 
  to 
  escape 
  to 
  the 
  water. 
  ... 
  At 
  Celebes, 
  whence 
  the 
  finest 
  tortoise-shell 
  is 
  exported 
  

   to 
  China, 
  the 
  natives 
  kill 
  the 
  turtle 
  by 
  blows 
  on 
  the 
  head, 
  and 
  immerse 
  the 
  shell 
  in 
  boiling 
  

   water 
  to 
  detach 
  the 
  plates. 
  Dry 
  heat 
  is 
  only 
  resorted 
  to 
  by 
  the 
  unskilful, 
  who 
  frequently 
  

   destroy 
  the 
  tortoise-shell 
  in 
  the 
  operation." 
  The 
  method 
  described 
  by 
  Tennent 
  was 
  resorted 
  

   to 
  in 
  the 
  beUef 
  that 
  a 
  new 
  set 
  of 
  shields 
  would 
  be 
  produced. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  however, 
  

   new 
  shields 
  are 
  formed 
  only 
  if 
  the 
  Malpighian 
  layer 
  ' 
  of 
  the 
  skin 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  

   heat; 
  and 
  these 
  new 
  shields 
  are 
  very 
  thin, 
  brittle, 
  and 
  of 
  no 
  commercial 
  value. 
  Present- 
  

   day 
  methods 
  of 
  removing 
  the 
  shields 
  are 
  more 
  humane: 
  the 
  turtle 
  is 
  first 
  killed, 
  then 
  

  

  '■ 
  The 
  Malpighian 
  layer 
  is 
  vital 
  to 
  regeneration 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  superficial 
  stnictures. 
  When 
  this 
  layer 
  is 
  destroyed 
  the 
  

   entire 
  affected 
  area 
  becomes 
  necrotic 
  and 
  sloughs 
  off. 
  New 
  tissue 
  then 
  forms 
  through 
  the 
  multiplication 
  of 
  Malpighian 
  

   cells 
  from 
  the 
  surrounding 
  healthy 
  portions. 
  In 
  turtles 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  verj' 
  slow 
  process. 
  

  

  