CHELONIA. 17 



than two feet. This labour I have seen performed 

 in the short period of nine minutes. The eggs are 

 then dropped one by one, and disposed in regular 

 layers to the number of a hundred and fifty, or 

 sometimes nearly two hundred. The whole time 

 spent in this part of the operation may be about 

 twenty minutes. She now scrapes the loose sand 

 back over the eggs, and so levels and smooths the 

 surface, that few persons on seeing the spot could 

 imagine anything had been done to it. This ac- 

 complished to her mind, she retreats to the water 

 with all possible despatch, leaving the hatching of 

 the eggs to the heat of the sand."* 



This species is one of the most useful products 

 of tropical climates, furnishing to seamen an aliment 

 both wholesome and agreeable, and a sure remedy 

 for that scourge of mariners, the scurvy. It feeds 

 chiefly on sea-weeds, on which it grazes at the 

 bottom of the water. Other species feed also on 

 various kinds of shell-fish ; the Loggerhead in parti- 

 cular feeds on the animal of the great Conch-shells, 

 (Strombus,) which with its powerful beak it crunches 

 with as much ease as a man cracks a walnut.^ 



The Hawk's-bill Turtle (C. Imbricata) is the 

 most useful next to the preceding, and perhaps the 

 most remarkable of all. The beak is sharper and 

 more hooked, having a very singular resemblance 

 to that of a Hawk. The plates of the shell are 

 ridged, and overlap one another like the tiles of 

 a house. It is from these plates that the beau- 

 * Orn. Biog. vol. ii. p. 370. + Audubon. 



