ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1049 



began to feed at once and are still living and 

 thriving. One of them weighs four hundred 

 pounds. 



As to puncturing the cartilaginous tips of 

 the flippers and tying them, that is done by 

 the fishermen to restrain their instinctive 

 struggling which ceases only with exhaus- 

 tion. The same results might possibly be 

 obtained by bandaging with burlap, but that 

 is beyond the control of our laws. The 

 turtles are now released during transportation 

 on shipboard, and are not confined by tying 

 while being handled in this country. 



As to carrying them on their backs : this 

 appears to be the only way in which they can 

 be carried satisfactorily. We have experi- 

 mented in the attempt to carry them right 

 side up, but they have always died on the 

 second day of the voyage from suffocation. 



The plastron, or lower shell of the sea turtle, 

 is not sufficiently rigid to bear the great weight 

 of the body without pressure on the lungs, and 

 the animals suffocate because they are unable 

 to breathe in such a position. The carapace 

 or upper shell is very strong and not supplied 

 with nerves in its outer part. To carry them 

 on their backs can mean only a measure of 

 discomfort, and produces no injury, as is 

 proved by the fact that the turtles arrive 

 in good condition. It has also proved im- 

 practicable to ship the turtles in tanks, as 

 the injuries produced by the incessant move- 

 ment of the turtles during such shipment are 

 far greater even than those produced by 

 stowing them on their backs and securing the 

 flippers. The use of tanks for a shipment of 

 large turtles would greatly increase the cost 

 of handling. 



In regard to the general sensitiveness of the 

 turtle, it must be borne in mind that the 

 turtle is a cold-blooded reptile of a very 

 sluggish nature, and that the central nervous 

 system is of a very low organization. They 

 can have no appreciation of their condition, 

 probably feel no acute pain, even by the 

 piercing of the cartilaginous tips of the 

 flippers, such as would be felt by a more 

 highly organized animal under similar con- 

 ditions. 



If it were possible to find a more comfort- 

 able way of shipment that was at the same 

 time practicable, it would be, of course, 

 desirable. I am of the opinion that the 

 present methods of shipment of turtles pro- 

 duce a less amount of injury and discomfort 

 than the ordinary methods of shipping cattle 

 and other more highly organized live stock. 



While it could scarcely be denied that large 

 sea turtles suffer some discomfort during 

 shipment, it can hardly be of serious extent, 

 certainly not enough to warrant the breaking 

 up of a well organized industry and the cutting 

 off of an important source of food. 



I have had considerable experience with sea 

 turtles in shipping and caring for them at the 

 Aquarium, and have assisted in the capture 

 of hundreds in the Caribbean Sea and the 

 Pacific Ocean. It is quite certain that they 

 cannot profitably be shipped except upon 

 their backs. Their flippers need not be tied 

 tight enough to cause discomfort, and their 

 heads should be cushioned. 



While in entire sympathy with the work 

 of the Humane Society, I am not of the 

 opinion that the methods employed in the 

 shipment of turtles involve any serious degree 

 of cruelty. The Zoological Society requires 

 of those in its service careful consideration of 

 the rights of animals, and humane treatment 

 of all creatures living in captivity at the 

 Zoological Park and the Aquarium. 



A LONG-LIVED FISH 



In June the Aquarium lost its last sur- 

 viving specimen of a group of fifty-two 

 striped bass (Roccus lineatus) which have 

 been on exhibition ever since the Aquarium 

 was opened to the public in 1896. It had a 

 length of three feet and a weight of twenty 

 pounds and had been in the Aquarium a 

 little over nineteen years. As the original 

 fifty-two specimens were recorded as four-year- 

 olds when the Aquarium was first opened, we 

 may safely state the age of this specimen as 

 twenty-one years. The basses in this particular 

 collection lived well and did not begin to die 

 off until about twelve years ago, since which 

 time they have slowly disappeared. The 

 above record has probably never been ex- 

 celled by any species of fish for length of life 

 in an aquarium. 



While it is known that the striped bass has 

 attained a weight of as much as one hundred 

 pounds, and has often exceeded fifty pounds, 

 none of those kept from ten to twenty years 

 in the Aquarium ever exceeded twenty pounds 

 in weight, and ceased growing several years 

 ago. The reason for this is not known, but 

 it may be assumed that the species cannot 

 reach its full development in captivity where 

 variety of food and freedom of movement 

 are necessarily restricted. 



The specimen has been sent to the Ameri- 

 can Museum of Natural History. 



