306 NEGRIL BAY. 



THE TRUNK TURTLE. 



The following communication to tlie ' Morning 

 Journal' of April 30th, 1846, relating to the cap- 

 ture of a Trunk Turtle [Sphargis coriacea), though 

 drawn up with somewhat of that vulgar wonder that 

 is common to newspaper science, yet seems sufficiently 

 accurate to merit preservation, while the measure- 

 ments are valuable, so far as they go. The scene of 

 the capture was at no great distance from Bluefields, 

 being at the extreme west end of the island. 



" The anxiety of the fishermen in this little vil- 

 lage was aroused on the oOth of last month, by the 

 track of a huge Sea-monster called a Trunk-turtle, 

 which came on the sea-beach for the purpose of 

 laying her eggs. A search was made, when a hole 

 in the sand was discovered, about four feet in depth, 

 and as wide as the mouth of a half-barrel, whence 

 five or six dozen white eggs were taken out; the 

 eggs were of diflTerent sizes, the largest the size of a 

 duck's egg. On the morning of the lOth of this 

 month, at half-past 5 o'clock, she was discovered by 

 Mr. Crow, on the beach near the spot where she 

 first came up ; he gave the alarm, when all the neigh- 

 bours assembled, and got her turned on her back. 

 She took twelve men to haul her about two hundred 

 yards. I went and measured her, and found her 

 dimensions as follows, — from head to tail, 6ft. 6in. ; 

 from the outer part of her fore fin to the other end 

 [to the tip of the other ?] 9ft. 2in. ; the circumference 

 round her back and chest, 7ft. 9in. ; circumference 



