FLIPPERS OF TURTLE 

 THE GREEN TURTLE 



The turtle, i.e. that of the Atlantic Ocean and of 

 aldermen, of green fat and of tortoiseshell, has been 

 from time to time on view at the Zoo. Indeed, fairly 

 big specimens have been acquired to show to the public. 

 It is not, however, from the nature of the case, a beast 

 which shows great longevity in Regent's Park. 

 This Chelonian, and its immediate allies, are to be dis- 

 tinguished from the land and aquatic tortoises by the 

 fact that the limbs are much more perfect swimming 

 organs. They have acquired the paddle form of the 

 fish fin and of the whale's flipper. In accordance with 

 this they are purely marine, and only go on shore to 

 lay their eggs. Like the testudinidae, to which they 

 are anatomically most nearly allied, they are vegetable 

 feeders. Like other animals that inhabit the sea, the 

 green turtle is very widely spread. That is a good 

 thing for the banqueting halls of London, but (to 

 quote a writer of some sixty years since) " it would be 

 quite superfluous to descant on the enthusiastic venera- 

 tion in which turtle soup is held by our wealthy and 

 discerning fellow-citizens." It may, however, be per- 

 missible to point out that turtle is a modern luxury. 

 In the year 1754, on " Saturday, July 13, the Right 

 Hon. the Lord Anson made a present to the gentlemen 

 of White's Chocolate House of a turtle which weighed 

 300 pounds weight." And again, in 1753, there occurs 

 this paragraph : " Friday, Aug. 31, a turtle weighing 

 350 pounds was eat at the King's Arms Tavern, Pall 

 Mall ; the mouth of an oven was taken down to admit 

 the part to be baked." These journalistic notes in- 

 dicate that turtle was not a very common article of 

 diet with our great-great-grandfathers. Turtles are 

 caught in nets, with harpoons, and by the help of the 

 sucking fish, Remora. When the reptiles come to 



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