OF THE UNITED STATES 



153 



than when I would occasionally observe a big green turtle (Ghe- 

 lonia viridis), come to the surface to breathe. It is a beautiful 

 sight to watch them and the marvelous rapidity by which they 

 can propel themselves through the water is astonishing. They 

 also have great command over their other movements, while on 

 land they are as awkward and as helpless as any seal that ever 

 lived. 



Frequently I have eaten the eggs of the green turtle on the 

 Bahama Islands, and found them very good, indeed. Upon one 

 occasion I was much amused at a sailor with whom I was 



FIG. 42. THE CAKAPACE OF A YOUNG HAWK'S-BILL TURTLE 



( Caretta imbricata). 



v, vertebrals ; co, costals ; m, marginals. Seen from above and greatly reduced. 



searching for turtle's nests, for w r hen least expecting it he 

 slipped into it through the sand, in which the coveted eggs were 

 concealed by the turtle that laid them; and it may be imagined 

 what his white trousers looked like after the accident. How- 

 ever the eggs were not all crushed, for nearly 200 were taken out 

 in good condition. 



In 1883 while collecting in Louisiana for the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution, under the direction of Professor Spencer F. Baird, I 

 met with not a few different species of the fresh-water turtles of 

 this country. Among these I succeeded in taking a few of the 



