TURTLES AND TURTLE-CATCHING 



the skin near the tail, and if the fat is not then found to 

 be thick enough, the tortoise is set free again. 



Strangers in the parts frequented by the Galapagos 

 tortoise have, in days gone by, been very much surprised 

 to find well-beaten, path-like tracks leading to and from 

 the springs and streams ; these have been made by the 

 tortoises in their periodical pilgrimages in search of water. 

 On reaching a pool or river they take in a "sea-stock" 

 or camel's supply of water, which will last them till the 

 next visit ; and thirsty travellers on meeting the animal 

 have often saved their lives by killing it, just as desert 

 wanderers are sometimes reduced to slaughtering a 

 camel. 



The most popularly known of all the turtles is that 

 from which the soup is made, the green turtle, whose 

 home is all over the warm quarters of the world, though 

 it is supposed to have been found originally off Ascension 

 Island ; it abounds in the West Indies and is often taken 

 on the high seas, hundreds of miles away from anywhere. 

 Its flesh is a very profitable article of commerce and its 

 eggs are highly prized for their richness. It is the largest 

 of its kind, often weighing six hundred pounds and reach- 

 ing a length of six feet or more. 



While it remains in the water the West Indian negroes 

 dive after it in the manner already described; but it is 

 often found on the beach strolling about in great numbers, 

 and it then forms an easy if ponderous capture. The 

 hunters surround a small group of them, cutting off all 

 retreat to the water's edge, and then, with a batch of men 

 to each turtle, turn them over on their backs. This is not 



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