﻿LOGGERHEAD 
  TURTLE. 
  349 
  

  

  " 
  They 
  were 
  variable, 
  however, 
  in 
  respect 
  to: 
  

  

  Elevation 
  above 
  water-level. 
  

  

  Distance 
  from 
  water-line 
  on 
  beach. 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid. 
  

  

  Date 
  of 
  laying 
  (May 
  to 
  August)." 
  

   Another 
  observer 
  (Coles, 
  1914) 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  laying 
  of 
  each 
  egg 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  from 
  ten 
  

   to 
  fifteen 
  seconds 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  convulsive 
  movement; 
  that 
  the 
  turtle 
  appears 
  not 
  to 
  

   notice 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  an 
  intruder 
  while 
  laying 
  and 
  that 
  on 
  one 
  occasion 
  he 
  received 
  about 
  

   thirty 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  his 
  hand 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  laid. 
  He 
  also 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  turtle 
  later 
  showed 
  

   a 
  disposition 
  to 
  defend 
  her 
  nest. 
  

  

  Mast 
  (1911) 
  has 
  described 
  the 
  behavior 
  of 
  the 
  Loggerhead 
  Turtle 
  in 
  depositing 
  its 
  eggs, 
  

   as 
  follows: 
  "The 
  loggerhead 
  turtle 
  ordinarily 
  comes 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   night 
  and 
  lays 
  its 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  sand 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  above 
  high-tide 
  water-mark. 
  On 
  July 
  11, 
  

   1910, 
  I 
  was 
  fortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  present 
  when 
  a 
  turtle 
  came 
  out 
  to 
  lay 
  on 
  Loggerhead 
  Key, 
  

   Florida, 
  while 
  it 
  was 
  still 
  daylight 
  {7^ 
  5° 
  P. 
  M.). 
  This 
  individual 
  was 
  about 
  3 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  

   2 
  feet 
  wide. 
  She 
  came 
  out 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  fine 
  and 
  proceeded 
  directly 
  up 
  the 
  

   beach 
  50 
  to 
  60 
  feet, 
  where 
  she 
  immediately 
  began 
  to 
  make 
  her 
  nest. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  indication 
  

   whatever 
  of 
  a 
  process 
  of 
  selection 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  for 
  the 
  nest, 
  as 
  some 
  have 
  asserted 
  in 
  describing 
  

   the 
  breeding 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  turtle. 
  When 
  the 
  turtle 
  reached 
  the 
  nesting-place 
  she 
  stopped 
  

   and 
  began 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  move 
  the 
  posterior 
  end 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side, 
  throwing 
  the 
  sand 
  out 
  sidewise 
  

   and 
  forward 
  alternately, 
  with 
  the 
  two 
  hind 
  flippers, 
  to 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  5 
  to 
  6 
  feet. 
  Thus 
  a 
  crescent- 
  

   shaped 
  trench 
  was 
  made, 
  wide 
  and 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  and 
  narrow 
  and 
  shallow 
  at 
  either 
  end. 
  

   This 
  trench 
  was 
  over 
  4 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  nearly 
  10 
  inches 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  middle. 
  The 
  lateral 
  

   movement 
  of 
  the 
  turtle 
  during 
  this 
  process 
  of 
  digging 
  was 
  largely 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  

   muscles 
  connected 
  \\ith 
  the 
  front 
  flippers, 
  which 
  remained 
  stationary 
  as 
  the 
  body 
  turned 
  on 
  

   them. 
  

  

  "After 
  the 
  trench 
  was 
  finished 
  the 
  turtle 
  took 
  a 
  position 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  right 
  hind 
  leg 
  was 
  

   very 
  nearly 
  over 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  it. 
  This 
  flipper 
  was 
  then 
  thrust 
  vertically 
  down 
  

   into 
  the 
  sand 
  (the 
  flat 
  surface 
  being 
  nearly 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  long 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  body) 
  and 
  the 
  end 
  

   turned 
  in 
  under 
  the 
  sand 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  cup 
  much 
  like 
  one 
  formed 
  by 
  a 
  human 
  hand 
  partly 
  

   closed. 
  The 
  posterior 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  was 
  then 
  raised 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  left 
  leg 
  and 
  pushed 
  

   to 
  the 
  right. 
  During 
  this 
  process 
  the 
  right 
  flipper, 
  containing 
  a 
  fair-sized 
  handful 
  of 
  sand, 
  

   was 
  of 
  course 
  raised 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  posterior 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  moved 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  the 
  fUpper 
  gradu- 
  

   ally 
  rotated 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  face 
  backward; 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  thrust 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  side 
  and 
  inverted 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   empty 
  the 
  sand 
  in 
  a 
  heap, 
  just 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  foot 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  the 
  cus- 
  

   tomary 
  position. 
  The 
  left 
  fUpper^was 
  now 
  directly 
  over 
  the 
  hole 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  right 
  one 
  and 
  

   used 
  in 
  removing 
  sand 
  just 
  as 
  described, 
  except 
  that 
  it 
  took 
  the 
  sand 
  from 
  the 
  right 
  side 
  of 
  

  

  