140 THE STORY OF REPTILE LIFE. 



of the second day the taboleiro was exhausted ; 

 large mounds of eggs, some of them four to five 

 feet in height, were then seen by the side of each 

 hut, the produce of the labours of the family." 



"When no more eggs are to be found, the 

 mashing process begins. . . . The whole heap is 

 thrown into an empty canoe and mashed with 

 wooden prongs ; but sometimes naked Indians 

 and children jump into the mass and tread it 

 down, besmearing themselves with yolk and 

 making about as filthy a scene as can well be 

 imagined. This being finished, water is poured 

 into the canoe, and the fatty mass left for a 

 few hours to be heated by the sun, on which 

 the oil separates and rises to the surface. The 

 floating oil is afterwards skimmed off with long 

 spoons, made by tying large mussel-shells to the 

 end of rods, and purified over the fire in copper 

 kettles. 



The destruction of turtle eggs every year 

 by these proceedings is enormous. At least 

 000 jars, holding each three gallons, are ex- 

 ported annually from the Upper Amazons and 

 the Madeira to Para, where it is used for lighting, 

 frying fish, and other purposes. It may be 

 estimated that at least 2000 more jarfuls are 

 consumed by the inhabitants of the villages on 

 the river. Now it takes at least twelve basket- 

 fuls of eggs, or about 6000 by the wasteful 

 process followed, to make one jar of oil. The 

 total number of eggs annually destroyed amounts 

 therefore to 48,000,000, As each turtle lays 

 120, it follows that the offspring of 400,000 

 turtles is thus annihilated. A vast number, 



