HERPETOLOGV. 



17 



Wmm 



T-r.-. 



Dandin, i. p. ." t. Lacepede. i. art. 3. 

 aGmelin, 1038. -SchoepfT, p. 67. 



Lofgerktod hnlle. Stunt, Hi. pi. 99, 2*, 25. 



* '. Conatra. Coriaceous T. Body not shelled, 

 but covered with leathery coat plaited longitudinally ; 



T. luth, Daudin. 

 T.fenu, Linn. 

 Sofi-ritllal turtle, 

 itortoue? 



L p. 62. I-accpede, i. art. 6. 

 i 



Pennant, Pktl. Tram Ixi. 275. 

 Britttk Aefanr. vol. iv. p. l. 

 Shaw. pi. 21. 



Of these six species, we shall notice the first, third, 

 filth, and *nth mrr particular: \ . 



Sptciei I. Ckitntim mpiat. Esculent, or green 

 turt 



Of *J1 the Cheionian reptiles, this i* deservedly hekl 

 in the Ughmt Mtotm, from the very nourishing and 

 mlambte bod which it afford* to the hwnan race. It U 

 alsooneof the bwgest of theae tribes, and i* not lea* in. 

 l to habit* and manntr*. thaa from it* uti- 



hty a* an article of diet. 



A foil grown turtle often measure* six or seven feet 

 in length from the na*w to the tip of it* short tail, three 

 or four feet in breadth, and nearly aa much in thick, 

 ness at the middle of the body. It snmttimrs weigh* 

 aiaht hundred pound*. The body appear* of an oval 

 form, ami the head w of CQBMderable sue in proportion 

 to the body. The tail is short and thick. The fm 

 are lone, and much better adapted to the action of 

 than that of walking. The head. feet, and 

 vwd with scale*. The breast- plate is abuttcr 

 three or twenty-four 



Uil. are i 



than the shield, and has tweiitv-thrre or twenty-four 

 plates disposed fa four rows, the prevailing colour of 

 Ink tattle's shell, when in iu usual situation, i* bright 



and whan the 

 a darker hoe. 

 both of the island* 



Iions. and is (bund 

 hat and West Indies. 



mitosj ,, 

 the Baa 



tea enter* the month* of large riven, and oc- 

 goaa to some distrnce from the shore into the 



, of the umutii. It swim* with 



great facility, keeping it* bead and part of its shell 

 above the surface of the water; but when it fear* the 

 ayusaach of danger, or seeks its prey an-.ong the rock*, 

 it divee to the bottom, and may be seen browsing at its 

 *a*e among the weed*. It i* said, however, that it don 

 not dive vary readily, . a* the specific gravity of ha 

 body but DttteescMda that of the salt water. When 

 it quit* the water, its motian on the land is rather a 

 i a walk, and immhhx that of seals and 

 _p enjadntpads, cxcvpt that it i* much 

 alawji. 



The great purpose for whiefi turtle* go on shore, is to 

 dsnoait their egg* to the sand Tbi process i* gene- 

 rally begun in the month of April, and take* op several 

 week*, a* the egg* are laid at interval* of about four- 

 teen day*. When preparing to lay her egg*, the female 

 turtle dig* a hale about two feet deep, a little above 

 high water mark, and into this cavity she drop* about 

 a Irandred egg* at one t de thut employed, 



her attention i* so completely taken np with th< 

 new for which she has come ashore, that a person may 

 easily approach her from behind, ami catch the egg* a* 

 they are let fall ; but if disturbed before ah. 

 lay, he quits the placr, and sevki a more winded spot 

 After having deposited all the egg* which (be ii to lay 



oi_ XL r*T i. 



at one time, she scratches the sand over them, and ChdonUn 

 leave* them to be hatched by the heat of the sun. The ^i"^, 

 eggs of tnis species are round, about the size of a tennis '"""V" 

 ball, and covered with a white skin resembling parch- 

 ment. It is said that Out part of turtles eggs which is 

 analogous to the albumen or white in the eggs of birds, 

 doe* not coagulate by the heat of boiling water. 



A* the female turtle lays her ejjgs at three or four 

 time*, with intervals of about a fortnight, the young 

 are of course hatched at different period*, the egg* of 

 each laying requiring about three weeks before the 

 young are ready for extrusion. The little animals are 

 of the same shape with their parent, but have only a 

 oft covering instead of a shell At soon as they are 

 rtltaaad from their confinement, they make directly for 

 the water ; and though this be sometime* at a consider- 

 able distance, they shape their course towards it in a 

 straight direction. But a small proportion of them, how- 

 ever, in general, reach their natural habitation. Great 

 nuinbets of them are seized by variom predacious ani- 

 mals, especially cormorant* and other large bird-., w hi.-li 

 hover about the shore from May to September, for the 

 puipuM of seizing such a desirable prize. 



The individual* of this specie* are often found col- 

 lected into numerous groups, though it does not appear 

 that they have much enjoyment of a social intercourse, 

 but are rather attracted to the same place by the abun- 

 dance of their natural food which it afford*. During 

 the coupling eaon, the male and female *ecm warmly 

 attached to each other, and are said to continue their 

 connubial embrace* for near a fortnight together. 



To what age the green turtle U capable of living. 



t be ascertained; 

 aturalists who su 



size, an! the 



It* full growth, 



t lc.it a century. \\V 



no uitcoiuuaon age for 



*i/e. 



; i.f turtle* for 



were it to remain unmolested, 



bat it it conjectured by those 



the age of an animal t 



number of yean rr 



that thi* specie* m 



shall see hereafter that thi* i 



specie* of a much more 



Even ill t'n- time o 



the tables of the great was pr.ictiv..! 1.1 1 . 1! i.t lndie<; 

 and if we may credit the account* of .Elian and l)i- 

 donu biculu*. the barbarous nation* of the East were 

 accustomed to employ the shield* of the largest indivi- 

 duals a* canoe*. It i* believed that it U only within 

 the** hundred years that turtle* have been imported 

 Rurope for the purposes of food. 



Various method* are resorted to in different conn- 

 trie* for catching turtle*. A very common mix.'. 

 watch them as they go on shore, or return, 

 lanon of laying their egg*, when they are easily ar- 

 rested; and, by the uiiiteJ force of several persons, are 

 turned on their back*, a position from which they find 

 'finely difficult to escape. Several individuals are 

 thus turned, and when a sufficient number has been 

 thu* partly tecured, they arc dragged away by rope*, 

 and carried in boat* to their place of destination. Thin 

 i* the method pract i inhabitant* of the Ba- 



hama Uland*, and i* often employed ith success by 

 sailors, w! ng at the island* between the tro- 



pic* durin. I iirtle* are also taken 



wbilt V>me fishers of great dex- 



> a* they sec at the l.ottnui, in the 

 shallows, and getting on their back*, press down the 

 hind part, and raiie the fore putt it )y, so as to 



compel t)u to the aurfnce, where an .v 



is re.i .1 noose over the head, and thin m-cure 



the captured animal. The most common mode, how. 

 c 



