RAWKSBILL TURTLE. Caretla imbricdm. 



they are known to frequent, there Toeing none on the north continent of America farther 

 north than Florida. It being amphibious, and yet at so great a distance from land in the 

 breeding-time, makes it the more remarkable. They feed mostly on shell-fish, the great 

 strength of their beaks enabling them to break very large shells." Several other species 

 belong to the same genus. 



In general appearance this species is not unlike the common Green Turtle, which will 

 presently be described, but the shell is broader, deeper coloured, and has two more plates 

 on the back. The plates along the upper part of the back are six-sided, rather square, 

 and keeled. There are two claws on each foot. 



THE well-known CAEET, or HAWKSBILL TUETLE, so called from the formation of the 

 mouth, is a native of the warm American and Indian seas, and is common in many of 

 the islands of those oceans. One or two specimens have been taken on our coasts. 



The Hawskbill Turtle is the animal which furnishes the valuable " tortoiseshell " of 

 commerce, and is therefore a creature of great importance. The scales of the back are 

 thirteen in number, and as they overlap each other for about one-third of their length, 

 they are larger than in any other species where the edges only meet. In this species, too, 

 the scales are thicker, stronger, and more beautifully clouded than in any other Turtle. 

 The removal of the plates is a very cruel process, the poor reptiles being exposed to a 

 strong heat which causes the plates to come easily off the back. In many cases the 

 natives are very rough in their mode of conducting this process, and get the plates away 

 by lighting a fire on the back of the animal. This mode of management, however, is 

 injurious to the quality of the tortoiseshell. After the plates have been removed, the 

 Turtle is permitted to go free, as its flesh is not eaten, and after a time it is furnished 

 with a second set of plates. These, however, are of inferior quality and not so thick as 

 the first set. 



When first removed, they are rather crumpled, dirty, opaque, brittle, and quite useless 

 for the purposes of manufacture, and have to undergo certain processes in order that these 

 defects may be corrected. Boiling water and steam are the two principal agents in this 

 part of the manufacture, the plates being boiled and steamed until they are soft and 



