Behavior of Loggerhead Turtle in Depositing Eggs. 67 



loggerhead turtle it must not be assumed that the nesting-place is diffi- 

 cult to find — quite the contrary, for the turtle-tracks leading to and from 

 it are very conspicuous and can not be mistaken. The place where the 

 eggs are buried is, however, not easy to find. In case of the nest described 

 I had considerable difficulty in finding the eggs, even after carefullv 

 watching the whole process of laying and noting the position of the turtle 

 in detail; and this is quite in harmony with the experience related to me 

 by several fishermen who collect the eggs for food. 



The eggs in this nest were ii inches below the surface, and they 

 occupied a space 6.5 inches in depth and 9 inches in diameter, making 

 the bottom of the nest 17.5 inches from the surface. The turtle under 

 observation was out of water 42 minutes, approximately 3 of which were 

 required to come from the water to the nest, 4 to make the trench, 8 to 

 dig the hole, 12 to lay the eggs, and 15 to fill the hole and trench, smooth 

 off the place and get back to the sea. The rate of locomotion on land is 

 about half a mile an hour. 



