THE GREEN TURTLE. 27 



" Should she hear any more noise, or perceive any indication of danger, she instantly sinks 

 and goes off to a distance ; but should everything be quiet, she advances slowly towards the 

 beach, crawls over it, her head raised to the full stretch of her neck, and when she has reached 

 a place fitted for her purpose, she gazes all around in silence. Finding all well, she proceeds to 

 form a hole in the sand, which she effects by removing it from under her body with her hind 

 flappers, scooping it out with so much dexterity, that the sides seldom, if ever, fall in. The 

 sand is raised alternately with each flapper as with a ladle, until it has accumulated behind her, 

 when, supporting herself with her head and fore part on the ground, she, with a spring from 

 each flapi^er, sends the sand around her, scattering it to the distance of several feet. 



"In this manner the hole is dug to the depth of eighteen inches, or sometimes more than 

 two feet. This labor I have seen perfonned in the short space of nine minutes. The eggs are 

 then dropped one by one, and disposed in regular layers to the number of one hundred and 

 fifty, or sometimes nearly two hundred. The whole time spent in this operation may be about 

 twenty minutes. She now scrapes the loose sand back over the eggs, and so levels and smooths 

 the surface, that few persons, on seeing the spot, would imagine that anything had been done 

 to it. This accomplished to her mind, she retreats to the water with all possible despatch, 

 leaving the hatching of the eggs to the heat of the sand. 



"When a Turtle, a loggerhead for example, is in the act of dropping her eggs, she will 

 not move, although one should go up to her, or even seat himself on her back ; but the moment 

 it is finished, off she starts, nor would it be possible for one, unless he were as strong as Her- 

 cules, to turn her over and secure her." 



The Green Turtle is a staple article of commerce in Key West, on the Florida Reef. It is 

 abundant on the waters in the Florida straits, and along the Gulf coasts. The fishermen in 

 the latter regions practise the plugging method of capturing it. In Key West, the Turtles are 

 placed in "crawls," an enclosed space in shallow water, which allows of free circulation of sea 

 water. Steamers phing to New York take on all that are supplied, for the Northern markets. 

 We have seen the young of the Green Turtle in considerable numbers, in the shallow inlets 

 of the mangrove swamps on the southern extremity of Florida. These young are exceedingly 

 good as edibles. The old ones feed in the same localities on the tender algae, which renders 

 them delicate and fat. The other great sea Turtles are carnivorous, and prove very indifferent 

 as food, though the garrison at Fort Jefferson issued the meat as rations a portion of the year. 

 Its novelty, and change from beef occasionally, made it a welcome article of the commissary. 



The aspect of this species is quite in conti-ast with the loggerhead, the head of the Green 

 Turtle being so much the smaller. 



Occasionally, the Green Turtle has been led on, by the influence of the wai-m waters of the 

 gulf stream, to venture off the entrance of New York harbor — a dangerous locality, one would 

 say, for such a highly prized edible. Fine specimens were kept in the New York Aquarium, 

 where they could be observed with ease. Their peculiar movements in swimming remind 

 one of the flight of a bird. 



Dr. Strobel informed Dr. Holbrook, the distinguished author on this subject, that Green 

 Turtles taken at Tortugas Islands were marked by the wreckers, and kept in confinement at 

 Key West, sixty miles distant. Some escaped, and were recaptured while laying eggs, on the 

 same island in the Tortugas group as they were formerly taken from. 



