Hawktbill 

 tunic. 



18 



ever, of catching turtles out at sea, is by means of a kind 

 of spe.ir, or harpoon, with a long wooden shaft, to which 

 tin- he.-ul of the spear is but loosely attached. This 

 kirn! of fishing, ;i* it i* termed, is generally carried on 

 by two men in a small light boat or canoe. One of 

 thote person* manages the boat, while the other stands 

 to d:irt thr spe;ir into the back of his destined 

 vii-ti'ii. It is not long before a turtle is seen either 

 ,\\ miming at the surface, or, what is more usual, feed- 

 ing at the bottom, where the water is about a fathom 

 ilivp. Sometimes the animal discovers the approach of 

 hi- enemies, and endeavours to escape; but the men 

 paddle after him, and generally contrive to tire him out 

 in about half an hour's chace. The spearman then 

 hurl-i his weapon, the head of which, from the peculiar 

 construction of the instrument, generally sticks fast in 

 the shell, while its attachment to the shaft is secured 

 by a long string. The animal thus wounded again, 

 makes off, unlvss he has been so much fatigued in the 

 chace, as to be incapable of further exertion. In either 

 case, he soon becomes an easy prey to his pursuers. 



It is only for its flesh that this species is so much 

 esteemed, its shell being of no use. In many of the 

 West India islands, turtles are exposed in the open 

 market, and a turtle-steak is there as common as a 

 beef-steak in Britain. The flesh of the turtle is ex- 

 tremely nutritious, and is considered an excellent re- 

 storative in cases of debility and emaciation. 



Sp. S. Chelonia caretta. The imbricated or hawksbill 

 turtle. 



This species, though of considerable size, is much 

 less than the preceding, the largest individuals seldom 

 weighing more than three or four hundred pounds. The 

 shield is of an oval and almost heart-shaped form, slight- 

 ly sinuated before, and narrowest behind. The disk is 

 covered with thirteen plates, that are two or three lines 

 thick, of a smooth surface, nearly transparent, lying 

 over each other like tiles upon a roof. The five verte- 

 bral plates are of unequal size and figure, though each 

 5s ridged longitudinally in the middle. That nearest 

 the head is very large and quadrangular, with a semi- 

 circular margin anteriorly. The three next plates are 

 hexagonal, and have their greatest length across the 

 body. The fifth is pentagonal, with one angle directed 

 backwards, and a little prolonged towards the tail. The 

 eight lateral plates are very large, and of an irregular 

 pentagonal figure. There are twenty-five marginal 

 plates, which are so much imbricated as to give the 

 sides of the animal a serrated appearance. The colour 

 of all these plates is generally black, with irregular 

 transparent shades of red or yellow ; all of them toge- 

 ther sometimes weigh from four to eight pounds. 



We have been thus particular in describing the plates 

 of this species, because they constitute its most valuable 

 product. They form what in Europe is denominated 

 tortoise-shell, which, by the inhabitants of the West 

 Indies, is more properly called turtle-shell. The head 

 and neck of the caret turtle are considerably longer 

 than those of the green turtle; and the upper mandible 

 projects so much over the lower, as to give the snout a 

 distant resemblance to the bill of a bird of prey, whence 

 English sailors have given it the name of hawksbill. 



This species is found in the Asiatic seas, and on the 

 Atlantic coasts of America ; but is said not to be met 

 with in the South Sea. 



Chelotiia* 



HERPETOLOGY. 



cure, as its shield is more convex, and its feet longer 



than those of the first species; so that when turned on its .^ eptl1 ^ 



back, it more readily regains its natural position. The 



female begins to lay her eggs in May, and continues 



with intervals till July. She is said not to deposit them 



in fine sand, but in gravel mixed with shells. The 



young of this species very nearly resemble those of the 



former. 



The eggs of the hawksbill turtle are esteemed very 

 delicious ; but its flesh is unwholesome, and affects 

 those who eat of it with fever and dysentery. It is al- 

 most entirely for the plates of tortoise-shell that it is 

 made an object of search. 



The use of tortoise-shell was known to the ancients, 

 but it is only in modern times that the manufacture of 

 it has been brought to perfection. In selecting the 

 plates, those are preferred which are thick, clear, and 

 transparent, and variegated with dark-brown, golden. 

 yellow, red, and white. In preparing them for use, 

 the plates are softened in warm water, and then re- 

 duced to the desired shape, by pressing them in warm 

 iron moulds. After they are cooled, they are taken 

 from the mould, smoothed and polished. For the pur- 

 poses of inlaying in cabinet work, the moistened plates 

 are pressed perfectly flat, and kept in that state till cool 

 and dry. It is usual to place below them metallic leaves 

 of such a colour as it is wished should appear through 

 the transparent part of the shell. 



Sp. 5. Chelonia caouanna. Loggerhead, or Mediter- L , IRer } le , a ,j 

 ranean turtle. turtle. 



This has been sometimes confounded with the last 

 species, under the name of caret, but Lacepede restrict- 

 ed this name to the hawksbill, in which he has been 

 followed by succeeding naturalists. 



This is a very large species of turtle, and is said by 

 Lacepede even to exceed the green turtle in size. Its 

 head is much larger in proportion than that of either of 

 the former species. The mouth, and especially the 

 upper mandible, is also of considerable size. The neck 

 is thick, and covered with a loose wrinkled skin, thinly 

 beset with horny scales. The shield is of an oval form, 

 narrowest behind. It is of a yellow colour, with black 

 spots. The legs, especially the fore legs, are propor- 

 tionally longer than in many other species; and both the 

 fore and hind feet are furnished with two sharp claws. 



The individuals of this species are most abundant in 

 the tropical seas, especially about the West India islands; 

 but they are also found in the Mediterranean, particu- 

 larly on the coasts of Sicily and Sardinia. 



In its manners, this is one of the fiercest of the Chc- 

 lonian tribe ; it defends itself with great courage and 

 activity, both with its mouth and claws, and has been 

 known to snap a moderate sized walking-stick with a 

 single stroke of its jaws. It appears to be the most 

 predacious of all the turtles, not only feeding on shell- 

 fish of considerable size, the habitations of which it 

 easily breaks with its strong mandibles, but attacking 

 the young crocodiles, seizing them by the tail as they 

 retire backwards into the water. Thus these animals 

 instinctively perform an act of retributive justice. The 

 older crocodiles make a prey of the eggs and young of 

 those turtles which inhabit the shores to which they 

 resort, and the turtles in return seize on the young cro- 

 codiles while they are too weak to defend themselves. 

 The loggerhead turtle wanders very far from land. 



ntl 1 I OB **'* V W VtX. TV tHIl-H- 1 * *,1 V 111 I II \Jlll lt*ll\A. 



hough so much smaller than the green turtle, the It has been seen apparently sleeping on the surface of 



WKSfolll POSSeSSeS Considerable !*trpncrtll O-nA wK*> of- fVio ntmnn .iK/Mlf mi/lurntT K*>-T<ln *K A r, rt *.o nr*r] "Rl_ 



hawksbill possesses considerable strength; and when at- 

 tacked, defends itself with much ferocity, giving very 

 evere and painful bites. It is also more difficult to se- 



the ocean, about midway between the Azores and Ba- 

 hama islands, at a distance of many hundred miles from 

 land. The female lays her eggs in the sand. 



