696 OCEANOGRAPHY 



his kind consent, ample materials for my studies on the development 

 of Chelonia. In return, Mr. Hattori is kind enough to say some of 

 the facts and suggestions I have been able to give him, based on my 

 embryological studies, have been of service in carrying out improve- 

 ments. 



The Hattori family has lived a long time in Fukagawa, a suburb of 

 Tokyo, which lies on the "Surrey" side of the Sumida River, and 

 which, having been originally reclaimed from the sea, is low and full 

 of lumber-ponds 1 and until recently of paddy-fields. The occupation 

 of the family was that of collecting and selling river-fishes, such as 

 the carp, the eel, and the crucian carp, and of raising goldfishes, in 

 addition to the ordinary farmer's work. As far back as in the forties 

 of the last century, the high price commanded by the "suppon" seems 

 to have suggested to the father and the uncle of the present Hattori 

 the desirability of cultivating it, and this idea, once started, seems 

 never to have been lost sight of, although lying in abeyance for a long 

 time. 



In 1866 the first large turtle was caught, and since then additions 

 have been made by purchase from time to time, so that in 1868 

 there were fifteen, and by 1874 the number reached fifty, which 

 were all very healthy, with a good admixture of males and females. 

 In 1875 these were placed in a small pond of 36 tsubos, 2 with an 

 island in the centre which was intended for the turtles to lay eggs 

 on. They, however, seemed to prefer for this purpose the space 

 between the water-edge and the outer inclosure; hence, to suit the 

 tastes of the reptile, the pond was hastily modified into a form 

 very much like the one in use at the present day. That year over 

 one hundred young were hatched, but, unfortunately, they were 

 allowed to enter the pond in which the adults lived, and all but 

 twenty-three of them were devoured, making it evident that some 

 means were necessary to protect them from their unnatural parents. 

 Thus was gradually evolved the present system of cultivation. 



In general appearance a turtle-farm is at a first glance nothing 

 but a number of rectangular ponds, large and small, the large ones 

 having a size of several thousand tsubos. The ponds are undergoing 

 constant modification, being united or separated just as need arises, 

 so that their number may vary considerably at different times. 

 Figure 1 gives the plan of the Hattori turtle-farm at Fukagawa as at 

 present laid out. There pass through the farm two small canals which 

 communicate on the one hand with the river across the road, and on 

 the other with the ponds, so that the water can be drawn into, or 

 emptied from, each of them at will. 



1 Ponds in which lumber is kept soaked in water. 



2 One tsubo, an area six feet square, is the unit in the measurement of small 

 land surfaces. 



