THE TURTLES OF SAND-KEY ISLAND. 199 



that the green turtle owes the green colour of its 

 flesh and shell. The fat of this species is, however, 

 yellowish, and this peculiarity is noticeable also in 

 the turtles from Boccataro, Portobello, and the Bays 

 of Campeachy and Honduras, and on the coasts of 

 Jamaica and Cuba. At Port Boyal, they have reser- 

 voirs on the shore to keep the green turtles alive, 

 and supply the market, which is very abundantly 

 provided with this nourishing and succulent food, 

 and there it's sold cheaply enough for people of 

 small means. 



" Now here (he added) are four turtles which were 

 sent me from the Galapagos, the Guano Islands. 

 Their shell is thicker than any others I have. In 

 fact, they are from two to three inches thick. Here, 

 on the right, sir, you'll find some fresh-water species. 

 Here are some luths, or leathery turtles — very extra- 

 ordinary creatures; and here some hecates, which 

 always remain in fresh-water ponds, and scarcely 

 ever come to land. Their weight varies from twelve 

 to twenty pounds, and they are round in form. The 

 terrapins are smaller than the last, and the plates of 

 the carapace are cut in a curious shape, beautiful in 

 workmanship, and nicely shaded. They live in damp 

 and marshy places. These are from the Island of 

 Pisces, near Cuba. You will notice that they are 

 marked on the back with several notches. It is the 

 custom of the Spanish hunters, when they find them 

 in the woods, to take them to huts, mark them. 



