824 



CIVIC BIOLOGY 



Fig. 156. Common snai)ping- 

 turtle 



of our own southern coasts, and especially their eggs, we may hope to in- 

 crease the American supply. May not classes in biology work up local 

 statements of this problem and help to develop public sentiment ? 



Of the four species the green turtle 

 {Eretiiwchelys mijdas) is most highly 

 prized for food. "While formerly speci- 

 mens weighing OOO pounds were cajv 

 tured, now specimens weighing more 

 than 50 pounds are rarely seen. The \og- 

 gerhe-dd (Thalassocheli/s caretta)\ii coarser 

 and does not command so high a price, 

 but may not be distinguished from prime 

 beef even by a butcher (Hornaday) . The 

 hawksbill {E. imhricata) supplies the tor- 

 toise shell of commerce, l»ut is not used 

 for food. The har]) turtle, or leather- 

 back {Spharn'is roriacea), the largest of all, is said to l)e unfit for food. 

 Terrapins and tortoises. The diamond-backed terrapin (Malacoclem- 

 mf/s palustrifi) is so renowned a delicacy with the epicures that extinction 

 of the species has seemed imminent. It formerly ranged from Massa- 

 chusetts to Mexico (the Chesapeake being a center of special abundance), 

 inhabiting the salt marshes and 

 feeding upon Crustacea, small mol- 

 lusks, and marsh vegetation. Prices 

 have risen from $o a dozen for large 

 ones to $70 for small ones, and this 

 has so stimulated the hunt for them 

 that a well-grown specimen has be- 

 come a curiosity in the wild haV)i- 

 tat. Experiments of the United 

 States Bureau of Fisheries, the re- 

 sults of which are given in a 

 recent ])ulletin, have proved that 



this terrapin may be profitably reared in inclosed tide pools. ^^ aste 

 tide flats are thus beginning to be used for terrapin farms. 



The common snapping terrapin, or "turtle " (Chelydra serpentina), and 

 the alligator terrapin (MacrocJiel//.^ iemmincki) of the Gulf states, w hile 

 valuable for food, are " demons of the deep " (Thompson Seton) for 

 destroying waterfowl and fishes. United effort should be made to ex- 

 terminate them from waters where rearing of waterfowl is an industry, 



Fig. 157. Common box tortoise 



