SEA TURTLES 45 



the warm waters of the Gulf Stream until it wanders out of 

 the track, and suddenly finds itself in the chilly arctic cur- 

 rent. Then, benumbed with cold, it falls an easy prey to 

 the first predatory fisherman who sails near it, and promptly 

 lands in Fulton Market. 



HARD-SHELLED SEA TURTLES 



Chelonidae 



The Green Turtle 1 is the most important and valuable 

 of the sea turtles, and in the Atlantic it is the species that is 

 most widely distributed. It is of large size, its flesh is excel- 

 lent food, and wherever found it is regarded as a prize. It 

 is said that sometimes it attains a weight of about 600 pounds ; 

 but those which now find their way to market in our large 

 cities are steadily diminishing in size, and rarely exceed 50 

 pounds. 



This turtle is found from Long Island down the Atlantic 

 to Cuba, throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, 

 the West Indies, and on southward to Brazil. It is also 

 found in the Indian Ocean, and is common on the coast of 

 Ceylon. I should say that on our coast Key West is its cen- 

 tre of greatest abundance and maximum size. The favorite 

 haunts of this creature are in the shallow channels that lie 

 between the keys, where they find quiet waters and plenty 

 of food, but no security from the sharp eyes of the turtle- 

 catchers. It feeds upon aquatic plants that grow on the 

 bottom of shallow seas. 



A large proportion of the Green Turtles captured on the 



1 Che-lo'ne viy'das. 



