The HaivJcs-lill Turtle. 523 



THE HAWK'S-BILL TURTLE, (Chelonia imbricata,) 



HAS received its name from the peculiar formation of 

 the upper jaw, which terminates in a curved point, like 

 the beak of a bird of prey. It is smaller than the Green 

 Turtle, the largest specimens being about three feet in 

 length. Its flesh is a very indifferent, if not unwhole- 

 some, article of food ; but the horny plates with which 

 its back is covered, and which lie over one another like 

 the slates on the roof of a house, are beautifully mottled, 

 and constitute the well-known tortoiseshell of commerce, 

 which is so much used for making combs and various 

 ornamental articles. It is only the best kind of tortoise- 

 shell, however, that is taken from the Hawk's-bill Turtle. 

 The shell that is usually seen is taken from commoner 

 kinds. A very large quantity ot tortoise-shell is im- 

 ported into Europe every year, and the traffic in it forms 

 a very important part of the trade of those countries in 

 which turtles abound. 



