TIIK ' /r/./'AJt 



within the up|T. The tail is very short. Th- c.,|,.r ..f this sj,. , ,, \..||,,w ti.-hly m.uM.-d 



with deep brown abo\.-. The under ].arts ar.- \ellowish-white.splashed with black on tin- 

 an'ola in the half urown and \oumr.-r individuals, ami the head i- brown, Ue phttes being 



nft.-li iilged with yellow. 



Th.- Hawk s I. ill Turtle is i-.nh.-r common around tin- Florida Reef, though large ones are 

 r.u.-ly found. The young we have eeen among the mangroves in the water-ways of the Ever- 



-lade.s. They are highly este,-m.-d as an edible. 



known ,,f all tli.- Turtles is ill.- ceiel.rated (iKKKN TuRTLK (Ckdonia mydtu\ so 

 rolled from i cnlcir <,f it* fat. 



This useful animal is f<iiin<l in th.- se.is aii<l .n th- shores <,f l~.ih . (ntiii.-nis. and in moat 

 plentiful alHiiii tlit- Island of Ascension and th,. Antilles, wh.-M- it is sulij-ct \<> ^nc,-s.s;tMt jiene- 

 cutioii for tli sake of ita fleeh. The shell of this reptile is of very little use, and of small 

 \alue, luit tin- llesh is it'iuarkaJtl\ rich and \\.-ll-llavonxl, and the gn--ii fat has long enjo\ 

 world-widi-and fully deserved rc|mtation. 



In Kiiniji*' th<> desh of the Green Turil.- is little hut an ohjet-t of luxury, attainable only 

 at great cant, and dressed with sundry acroniininiinents that im-p-as.- i-.idn-i than diminish its 

 natiii-.il rii-hness. Hut in many instances, m <-s|H-<-ially on Ixmnl shiji. when the siiilorM 



haw been braed toettl u3A prorWom antil th< -\ - ,,,..,., deteriorated, und the fearful 



scourge of scurvy is impending over crew and officers, tin- Turtle becomes an absolute neoee- 

 sit\. and is th- means of saving many a noble vessel from destruction, by giving tin- crew 

 a healthful chaiiLre <if dii-l. and purifying the blood from the bain-ful lTe-ts ..f a i-.m- of 

 salted pnvisii.ns. 



LHiidsm.-ii have little not ion of the real textun- a nd flavor of "salt junk." their ideas 

 U-intr generally confined to the delicui- |\ coniel and pinky Iteef or (Kirk that IB serve* I up 

 to table, \\ iih tip- acconi]>animeiit* ol HiadX] i"i' dl Ud mil dfl Bed '.'_ T.I !!- \N'li. P0M, nil 

 junk is something like rough mahogany in look and ha nl ness, and salted to such a degree 

 a* almoM to blister the tongue of a landsman. It may easily In- imagined how any one who 

 has been condemned to a course of this diet for a lengthened time would welcome fresh meat 

 of any kind whatever, and we ne-d not wonder at the extraordinary relish with which .Miilor* 

 will eat sharks, sea-birds, and various other strangely flavored creatures. 



The tle>h and fat of the Turtle are valuable in a medicinal jniint of view, and will supply 

 in a more agreeable, though more costly manner, the various remedies for consumptive tenden- 

 cies, decline, and similar diseases, of which cod-liver oil is the most familiar ami one of the 

 most nauseous examples. 



nnerly, before steam i>owcr was applied to vessels, the Turtle was extremely scarce and 

 \ery exjN-nsive, but it can now In- obtained on much more reasonable terms. Many \.-^s.-ls an- 

 now in the habit of bringing over Turtles as part of their cargo, and it is found that these 

 valuable reptiles are easily managed when on board, requiring hardly any attention. The 

 following short account of some captive Turtles has been kindly presented to me by a partaker 

 of their voyage and their flesh : 



The Island of Ascension is a great resort of Turtle, which are th.-n- captured and 

 retained prison, rs in some large ]>onds. from which they are occasionally transferred to ships 



atioiis' for the cr-w. Th.-. Turtles ma\ be s.-eii in the ponds, lazily moving along. ..M-- 

 alnive another, sometimes three or four deep. They occasionally com.- to the surface to take 

 breath, and will splash about at thnes quite merrily. :LS thon-h L-uorant that their destiny 

 tended towards conversion into soup and cutlets. At the best, however, they are lethargic, 

 awkward creatures. 



"About half a dozen fine Turtle were conveyed on board our ship during my stay at the 



Island <f Ascension ; they were unwieldly monsters, measuring rather mon- than four feet six 



indies in length, and about three feet in breadth. They were allowed to li.- either in the 



on the after-part of the poop, and seldom disturbed themselves unless the vessel gave 



an extra roll, or they were stirred up by a pail of water being thrown over them or a wet swab 



rubbed over their hooked beaks. 

 VOL m -t 



