NOTES ON BISCAYNE BAY. 177 



On February 16 the writer came upon a sleeping crocodile in Croco- 

 dile Hole, and Lad an excellent opportunity to identify it. The animal 

 was between 9 and 10 feet long. At the eastern side of the '-hole," 

 where there is a small sandy beach^ there were numerous crocodile 

 tracks of various sizes. Under a bush at tbe edge of the beach the 

 native boatman pointed out a depression in which he had on several 

 occasions fcfund crocodile eggs. 



The existence of a species of crocodile in the United States was first 

 made known in 1809 by Wymau, wlio based a paper* on a skull sent 

 from the Miami Eiver. 



Alligators {Alligator mississippiensis) are found in all the fresh- water 

 streams discharging into the bay. Of late they have been so assidu- 

 ously hunted by the Indians that their number has been greatly reduced, 

 and the species is approaching extinction here as elsewhere in Florida. 



The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is one of the most valuable water 

 animals of this region. It has undergone a noteworthy diminution in 

 abundance within a comparatively few years, and it would appear that 

 some protective measures are urgently demanded in order to j)reserve 

 it from practi(!al extermination. The jjoaching of turtle fishermen from 

 Bahama Islands is a source of great annoyance and injury to the peo- 

 ple of Biscayne Bay, who have seriously felt the effects of the wholesale 

 capture of turtles on the grounds lying off the h^y. As many as 10 

 or 12 sail of Nassau vessels are sometimes seen taking turtles within 

 jurisdictional waters. They withdraw on the approach of a revenue 

 cutter and are seldom apprehended by the customs officers. As a result 

 of the indiscriminate fishing done by these fishermen the turtle fishery 

 along the reefs and keys is reported to have been almost ruined, and 

 the turtles are yearly becoming scarcer in the bay itself. The turtles 

 found in the bay range from 75 to 10 pounds in weight, the average 

 being about 25 pounds. The average weight of those taken outside is 

 probably GO or 75 pounds. It is reported by the fishermen that only 

 a few green turtles now visit the beaches of southern Florida and that 

 no eggs are there deposited. This species is supposed to chiefly fre- 

 quent the shores of Yucatan for the i)urpose of breeding. 



The loggerhead turtle ( Thalassochelys caretta) resorts to the outer 

 beaches in large numbers for the purjwse of depositing its eggs. The 

 supply is much less than formerly owing to the wholesale destruction 

 of the eggs by fishermen and by various predaceous animals, such as 

 bears and raccoons, which walk the beach incessantly at night and 

 devour a large part of the eggs not taken by man. The loggerhead 

 turtle is much less valuable as a commercial i)roduct than the green 

 turtle, and is chiefly taken for local consumption, although at times 

 considerable numbers are secured by the turtle smacks from Ke}^ West. 

 Their average weight is about 300 pounds. 



* Amer. Jouru. Sci. aud Arts, xlix, 1870, p. 105. 

 F. R. 95 12 



