344 



HISTORY OF FISHES. 



property the flesh of the turtle seems peculiarly 

 possessed of ; and by the importation of it alive 

 among us, gluttony is freed from one of its 

 greatest restraints. The flesh of the turtle is 

 become a branch of commerce ; and therefore 

 ships are provided with conveniences for sup- 

 plying them with water and provision, to bring 

 them over in health from Jamaica and other 

 West India islands. This, however, is not 

 always effected ; for though they are very vi- 

 vacious, and scarcely require any provision 

 upon the voyage, yet, by the working of the 

 ship, and their beating against the sides of the 

 boat that contains them, they become battered 

 and lean ; so that to eat this animal in the 

 highest perfection, instead of bringing the tur- 

 tle to the epicure he ought to be transported 

 to the turtle. 



This animal is called the green turtle, from 

 the colour of its shell, which is rather greener 

 than that of others of this kind. It is gene- 

 rally found about two hundred weight ; though 

 some are five hundred, and others not above 

 fifty. Dampier tells us of one that was seen 

 at Port-Royal, in Jamaica, that was six feet 

 broad across the back ; he does not tell us its 

 other dimensions ; but says that the son of 

 Captain Roach, a boy about ten years old, 

 sailed in the shell, as in a boat, from the shore 

 to his father's ship, which was above a quarter 

 of a mile from land. But this is nothing to 

 the size of some turtles the ancients speak of. 

 jElian assures us, that the houses in the island 

 of Taprobane are usually covered with a sin- 

 gle shell. Diodorus Siculus tells us that a 

 people neighbouring on Ethiopia, called the 

 Tur tie- eater s , coasted along the shore in boats 

 made of the upper shell of this animal; and 

 that in war, when they had eaten the flesh, 

 the covering served them as a tent. In this 

 account, Pliny, and all the rest of the an- 

 cients, agree ; and as they had frequent op- 

 portunities of knowing the truth, we are not 

 lightly to contradict their testimony. 



At present, however, they are not seen of 

 such amazing dimensions. We are told by 

 Laet, that on the isle of Cuba they grow to 

 such a size, as that five men can stand on the 

 back of one of them together ; and what is 

 more surprising still, that the animal does not 

 seem overloaded, but will go off with them 

 upon its back, with a slow steady motion, to- 

 wards the sea. 



They are found in the greatest numbers on 

 the island of Ascension ; where for several 

 years, they were taken to be salted to feed the 

 slaves, or for a supply of ship's provision. 

 Their value at present seems to be better 

 known. 



This animal seldom comes from the sea but 

 to deposit its eggs, and now and then to sport 

 in fresh water. Its chief food is a submarine 



plant, that covers the bottom of several parts 

 of the sea not far from the shore. There the 

 turtles are seen, when the weather is fair r 

 feeding in great numbers, like flocks cf sheep, 

 several fathoms deep, upon the verdant carpet 

 below. At other times they go to the mouths 

 of rivers ; and they seem to find gratification 

 in fresh water. After some time thus em- 

 ployed, they seek their former stations : and 

 when done feeding, they generally float with 

 their heads above water, unless they are 

 alarmed by the approach of hunters or birds of 

 prey, in which case they suddenly plunge to 

 the bottom. They often seek their provision 

 among the rocks, feeding upon moss and sea- 

 weed ; arid it is probable will not disdain to 

 prey upon insects and other small animals, as 

 they are very fond of flesh when taken and 

 fed for the table. 



At the time of breeding, they are seen to 

 forsake their former haunts and their food, and 

 to take sometimes a voyage of nine hundred 

 miles to deposit their eggs on some favourite 

 shore. The coasts they always resort to upon 

 these occasions are those that are low, flat, and 

 sandy: for, being heavy animals, they cannot 

 climb a bold shore ; nor is any bed so proper 

 as sand to lay their eggs on. They couple in 

 March, and continue united till May; during 

 a great part of which they are seen locked to- 

 gether, and almost incapable of separation. 

 The female seems passive and reluctant ; but 

 the male grasps her with his claws in such a 

 manner, that nothing can induce him to quit 

 his hold. It would seem that the grasp, as in 

 frogs, is, in some measure, convulsive, and 

 that the animal is unable to relax its efforts, 



When the time for laying approaches, the 

 female is seen towards the setting of the sun 

 drawing near the shore, and looking earnestly 

 about her, as if afraid of being discovered. 

 When she perceives any person on shore, she 

 seeks for another place ; but if otherwise, she 

 lands when it is dark, and goes to take a 

 survey of the sand where she designs to lay. 

 Having marked the spot, she goes back 

 without laying, for that night, to the ocean 

 again ; but the next night returns to deposit a 

 part of her burden. She begins by working 

 and digging in the sand with her fore-feet 

 till she has made a round hole, a foot broad, and 

 a foot and a half deep, just at the place a little 

 above where the water reaches highest. This 

 done, she lays eighty or ninety eggs at a time, 

 each as big as a hen's egg, and as round as a 

 ball. She continues laying about the space 

 of an hour; during which time, if a cart were 

 driven over her, she would not be induced to 

 slir. The eggs are covered with a tough 

 white skin, like wetted parchment. When 

 she has done laying, she covers the hole so 

 dexterously, that it is no easy matter to find 



