26 THE GREEN TURTLE. 



"Their tenacity of life was remarkable ; they remained on board ship during upwards of 

 three weeks without any food, and their only refresher was a cold bath, derived from the 

 before-mentioned pail of water, wliich they usually received with a dreamy lengthy sort of 

 hiss. Even after their three weeks' starvation, they died very hard. One, whose throat was 

 cut in the morning, and from whose body numerous eggs had been extracted, was giving an 

 occasional flap with her fins late in the afternoon ; the fact of her throat having been cut and 

 her l)ody otherwise mutilated appeared merely to produce the effect of ultimately damaging her 

 constitution, and I have grave doubts whether the fact of her ceasing to move was not as much 

 due to the destruction of the various membranes as to the extinction of her reptilian life." 



As these animals are large and very powerful, it is not a very easy task to secure and bring 

 them on board. The usual plan is to intercept them as they are traversing the sands, and to 

 turn them over on their backs, where they lie until they can be removed. Many of the 

 tortoise tribe can recover their position when thus overturned, but the Green Turtle is quite 

 unable to restore itself to its proper attitude, and lies helplessly sprawling until it is lifted 

 into the boat and taken on boad. In many cases the creature is so enormously heavy that the 

 united strength of the pursuers is inadequate to the task, and they are consequently forced to 

 employ levers and so to tilt it over. 



Sometimes the Turtle is fairly chased in the water and struck with a curious kind of 

 harpoon, consisting of an iron head about ten inches in length, and a staflf nearly twelve 

 feet long. The head is only loosely slipped into a socket on the stafi" and the two are 

 connected with a cord. Two men generally unite in this chase, one paddling the canoe 

 and the other wielding the harpoon. They start towards the most likely spots, and look 

 carefully at the bottom of the sea, where it is about six or ten feet in depth, to see whether 

 the exi)ected prey is lying at its ease and does not perceive them. 



Sometimes they are forced to give chase to a Turtle on the surface, and sometimes the 

 individual on which they had fixed, takes the alarm, and swims away. In either case they 

 continually pursue the single swimming reptile, until it is fatigued with constant irritation, 

 and sinks to the bottom to rest. No sooner has the Turtle assumed this position than the 

 harpooner lowers his weapon into the water, takes an accurate aim, and then drives the steel 

 spike deep into the shell. Off dashes the Turtle, carrying with it the harpoon. Were it not 

 for the peculiar consti'uction of the harpoon, the weapon would soon be shaken off, and the 

 Turtle escape, but as the shaft slips readily off the head, there is no leverage and the steel 

 head remains fixed, towing after it the long wooden shaft, which soon tires out the poor 

 victim. When thoroughly fotigued, it is drawn to the surface, a rope put around it, and 

 either taken into the boat or hauled ashore. 



The food of this Turtle consists of vegetable substances, mostly algae, which is found in 

 gi-eat abundance in those warm climates. Tliis animal grows to a very great size, as may be 

 imagined from the fact that it often requires the united aid of three men to turn it over. 

 A very pure limpid oil is obtained from these species, useful for burning in lamps and other 

 similar purposes. A fat fuU-gi-own specimen wiU sometimes furnish thirty pints of this 

 substance. 



The eggs of the Turtle are thought as great delicacies as its flesh, and it is rather a remark- 

 able fact, that although the flesh of the hawk's-bill Turtle is distasteful to all palates and 

 hurtful to many constitutions, the eggs are both agreeable in flavor and perfectly harmless. 

 It is while the female Turtle is visiting shore for the purpose of depositing her eggs that she is 

 usually captured, as these sea-loving reptiles care little for the shore except for this purpose. 

 So admii'able an account of the manner in which the Turtle behaves when laying her eggs 

 is written by Audubon, that the description must he given in his own words : — 



"On nearing the shore, and mostly on fine, calm moonlight nights, the Turtle raises her 

 head above the water, being still distant thirty or forty yards from the beach, looks around 

 her, and attentively examines tlie objects on shore. Should she observe nothing likely to dis- 

 turb her intended operations, she emits a loud, hissing sound, by which such of her enemies 

 as are unaccustomed to it are startled, and apt to remove to another place, although unseen 

 by her. 



