﻿LOGGERHEAD 
  TURTLE. 
  347 
  

  

  tory 
  : 
  two 
  from 
  the 
  \dcimty 
  of 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  and 
  one 
  from 
  No 
  Man's 
  Land, 
  Mass. 
  Two 
  of 
  these 
  

   are 
  quite 
  young. 
  

  

  Numbers. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  commonest 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  Cheloniidae. 
  The 
  region 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  north 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  south 
  to 
  Brazil, 
  represents 
  the 
  

   area 
  of 
  greatest 
  abundance. 
  

  

  Breeding. 
  — 
  The 
  Loggerhead 
  Turtle 
  is, 
  perhaps, 
  most 
  widely 
  known 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   its 
  breeding 
  habits. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  comes 
  farther 
  north 
  to 
  make 
  its 
  nest 
  than 
  any 
  

   of 
  the 
  other 
  sea 
  turtles, 
  its 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  more 
  available 
  and 
  hence 
  most 
  commonly 
  used 
  

   in 
  embryological 
  researches 
  in 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  animals.^ 
  

  

  The 
  nests 
  are 
  found 
  along 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  from 
  Florida 
  northward 
  through 
  Georgia, 
  

   South 
  and 
  North 
  CaroUna, 
  even 
  to 
  Virginia. 
  Coker 
  (1906) 
  from 
  the 
  Laboratory 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Biu-eau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  at 
  Beaufort, 
  North 
  CaroUna, 
  has 
  made 
  the 
  following 
  interesting 
  

   observations 
  regarding 
  its 
  breeding 
  habits: 
  "The 
  laying 
  season, 
  begiiming 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  

   of 
  May, 
  extends 
  into 
  August. 
  

  

  "The 
  nests 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  at 
  night, 
  for 
  the 
  sign 
  by 
  which 
  a 
  nest 
  is 
  located 
  is 
  the 
  fresh 
  

   track 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  morning 
  leading 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  laid. 
  Not 
  mfrequently 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  tracks 
  ehows 
  that 
  the 
  tiirtle 
  returned 
  to 
  

   the 
  water 
  without 
  depositing 
  eggs, 
  and 
  thus 
  there 
  may 
  or 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  indications 
  that 
  a 
  nest 
  

   was 
  started. 
  Sometimes, 
  in 
  such 
  cases, 
  another 
  track 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  not 
  far 
  away 
  leading 
  to 
  

   an 
  actual 
  nest. 
  

  

  "Early 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  the 
  nests 
  are 
  sought 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  fishermen 
  who 
  value 
  the 
  eggs 
  to 
  eat 
  

   or 
  to 
  sell 
  for 
  that 
  purpose 
  at 
  five 
  cents 
  per 
  dozen. 
  A 
  sharp 
  stick 
  is 
  carried 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  probe 
  

   into 
  suspected 
  places. 
  If 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  probe, 
  when 
  withdrawn, 
  is 
  smeared 
  with 
  yolk, 
  a 
  nest 
  

   has 
  been 
  located. 
  Sometimes 
  they 
  are 
  destroyed 
  by 
  hogs; 
  and 
  nests 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  with 
  

   only 
  fragments 
  of 
  shell 
  and 
  yolk 
  strewn 
  about. 
  During 
  the 
  day 
  the 
  tracks 
  are 
  Uable 
  to 
  be 
  

   obliterated 
  bj' 
  tide 
  and 
  wind, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  by 
  rain, 
  so 
  that 
  nests 
  that 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  

   following 
  day 
  are 
  usually 
  safe 
  from 
  molestation, 
  at 
  least, 
  by 
  man. 
  

  

  "In 
  1905 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  following 
  dates: 
  June 
  14th 
  (2 
  nests), 
  15th, 
  19th, 
  27th 
  

   (2 
  nests), 
  29th, 
  30th, 
  Jul}- 
  8th 
  (2 
  nests), 
  10th 
  (2 
  nests 
  and 
  signs 
  obser\-ed 
  of 
  2 
  others 
  destroyed 
  

   by 
  hogs), 
  22nd 
  (2 
  nests), 
  and 
  28th. 
  On 
  May 
  31st, 
  I 
  was 
  reUably 
  informed 
  of 
  nests 
  found 
  

   during 
  the 
  preceding 
  week. 
  May 
  21-27, 
  and, 
  later, 
  of 
  a 
  nest 
  dug 
  about 
  June 
  5th; 
  but 
  collecting 
  

   trips 
  on 
  the 
  6th 
  and 
  10th 
  were 
  fruitless. 
  In 
  1903 
  nests 
  were 
  reported 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  before 
  and 
  

   after 
  June 
  14th, 
  and 
  I 
  dug 
  one 
  on 
  July 
  9th. 
  In 
  1904 
  nests 
  were 
  reported 
  July 
  24th 
  and 
  on 
  

   August 
  5th 
  eggs 
  were 
  brought 
  by 
  a 
  fisherman, 
  who 
  reported 
  the 
  finding 
  of 
  four 
  nests, 
  two 
  of 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  destroyed 
  by 
  hogs. 
  The 
  la\ang 
  season 
  near 
  Beaufort 
  probably 
  begins 
  in 
  May 
  

   and 
  maj^ 
  extend 
  into 
  August, 
  but 
  is 
  chiefly 
  June 
  and 
  July. 
  

  

  ' 
  Agassiz's 
  "Comparison 
  of 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  Chelonii 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  .Aiiiydae" 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  embrj'ology 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  and 
  Chrysemys 
  picla. 
  

  

  