﻿332 
  BARCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  amounts, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  48,000,000. 
  As 
  each 
  turtle 
  lays 
  about 
  120, 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  the 
  yearly 
  

   offspring 
  of 
  400,000 
  turtles 
  is 
  thus 
  annihilated." 
  

  

  Certain 
  large 
  birds 
  of 
  prey 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  drop 
  turtles 
  from 
  a 
  great 
  height 
  on 
  rocks 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  break 
  the 
  shell. 
  This 
  fact 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  foundation 
  for 
  the 
  ancient 
  fable 
  of 
  

   the 
  unfortunate 
  poet 
  iEschylus, 
  who 
  was 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  killed 
  by 
  a 
  tortoise 
  which 
  was 
  

   dropped 
  on 
  his 
  head 
  from 
  a 
  great 
  height 
  by 
  an 
  eagle. 
  

  

  The 
  turtle 
  occupied 
  an 
  important 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  and 
  superstitions 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  American 
  

   Indians. 
  The 
  flesh 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  food 
  and 
  the 
  shells 
  as 
  receptacles. 
  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  also 
  eaten. 
  

   The 
  "tortoise-shell 
  drum" 
  was 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  medicine 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  tribes 
  as 
  an 
  instrument 
  of 
  magic 
  

   (Thwaites, 
  ed., 
  1901, 
  vol. 
  20, 
  p. 
  306). 
  With 
  it 
  they 
  attempted 
  to 
  prolong 
  life 
  and 
  heal 
  the 
  sick. 
  

   This 
  drum 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  cleaning 
  and 
  drying 
  the 
  shell 
  with 
  the 
  head, 
  limbs, 
  and 
  tail 
  intact. 
  

   Porcelain 
  beads 
  or 
  pebbles 
  were 
  then 
  put 
  inside 
  and 
  the 
  shell 
  pierced 
  with 
  a 
  stick 
  which 
  served 
  

   as 
  a 
  handle 
  when 
  shaking 
  it. 
  The 
  Missionary 
  Monks 
  of 
  Brazil 
  ate 
  turtle 
  during 
  Lent 
  in 
  recog- 
  

   nition 
  of 
  the 
  \'irtue 
  of 
  its 
  amphibious 
  habits. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  in 
  China, 
  to 
  be 
  called 
  a 
  

   "turtle" 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  of 
  insults, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  supposed 
  infidelity 
  of 
  the 
  animal. 
  

  

  From 
  an 
  economic 
  standpoint, 
  turtles 
  are 
  becoming 
  increasingly 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  modern 
  

   world. 
  A 
  description 
  of 
  egg 
  collecting 
  for 
  oil 
  manufacture 
  has 
  been 
  gi^'en. 
  Oil 
  is 
  also 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  from 
  the 
  fat 
  taken 
  from 
  certain 
  large 
  land 
  tortoises. 
  The 
  flesh 
  of 
  certain 
  species 
  of 
  

   sea 
  turtles 
  and 
  fresh-water 
  terrapins 
  is 
  coming 
  rapidly 
  into 
  favor 
  as 
  food, 
  notwithstanding 
  

   the 
  BibUcal 
  mandate 
  to 
  Moses 
  and 
  Aaron 
  that 
  the 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  tortoise 
  is 
  "unclean" 
  (Lev. 
  11 
  : 
  29). 
  

   The 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  the 
  Soft-shelled 
  Turtle 
  {Amyda 
  japonica) 
  has 
  been 
  success- 
  

   fully 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  Japan 
  for 
  years 
  and 
  has 
  more 
  recently 
  been 
  attempted 
  in 
  the 
  Ignited 
  States 
  

   along 
  the 
  South 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  with 
  several 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  Diamond-back 
  Terrapin. 
  The 
  sea 
  

   turtle, 
  Eretmochehjs 
  imhricata, 
  furnishes 
  the 
  popular 
  "tortoise-shell" 
  of 
  commerce, 
  an 
  account 
  

   of 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  subject 
  matter 
  dealing 
  with 
  that 
  species. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  adopted 
  the 
  nomenclature 
  of 
  the 
  recently 
  published 
  Check 
  List 
  of 
  North 
  Ameri- 
  

   can 
  Amphibians 
  and 
  Reptiles 
  by 
  Stejneger 
  and 
  Barbour 
  (1917). 
  

  

  To 
  Dr. 
  Glover 
  M. 
  Allen 
  of 
  the 
  Boston 
  Society 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  and 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Thomas 
  

   Barbour 
  of 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  Comparative 
  Zoology 
  at 
  Cambridge, 
  I 
  wish 
  to 
  express 
  my 
  thanks 
  

   for 
  their 
  help 
  and 
  interest. 
  

  

  