THE LEATHERY TURTLE. 187 



grass, growing at the bottom of the sea,* com- 

 monly called turtle-grass. The inhabitants of the 

 Bahama Islands, by often practice, are very expert 

 at catching turtles, particularly the Green Turtle. 

 In April they go, in little boats, to Cuba and 

 other neighbouring islands, where, in the even- 

 ing, especially in moonlight nights, they watch 

 the going and returning of the Turtle to and 

 from their nests, at which time they turn them 

 on their backs, where they leave them, and pro- 

 ceed on turning all they meet j for they cannot 

 get on their feet again when once turned. Some 

 are so large that it requires three men to turn 

 one of them. The way by which the turtle are 

 most commonly taken at the Bahama Islands is 

 by striking them with a small iron peg of two 

 inches long, put in a socket, at the end of a staff 

 of twelve feet long. Two men usually set out for 

 this work in a little light boat or canoe, one to 

 row and gently steer the boat, while the other 

 stands at the head of it with his striker. The 

 Turtle are sometimes discovered by their swim- 

 ming with their head and back out of the water ; 

 but they are oftenest discovered lying at the 

 bottom, a fathom or more deep. If a Turtle 

 perceives he is discovered, he starts up to make 



* It is not a grass, but the sea-wrack (Zostera marina), 

 which is here alluded to. 



