202 The Philipjnne Jom-nal of Science 1917 



conviction thei-eof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hun- 

 dred pesos for each offense, or by imprisonment not exceeding six months, 

 or by both fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court. 



Sec. 13. Violations of this Act may be prosecuted in any Court of First 

 Instance of any province, but the court first lawfully taking cognizance 

 thereof shall have jurisdiction of the same to the exclusion of all other 

 courts. 



Sec. 14. The Governor-General may, by executive order, designate the 

 Governor of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu to perform the duties 

 and powers devolving upon the Secretary of the Interior under this Act 

 within the territorial limits of said Department. 



Sec. 15. Act Numbered Two hundred nine of the former Legislative 

 Council, entitled "An Act for the preservation and regulation of the 

 sponge fisheries of the Moro Province, and for other purposes," is hereby 

 repealed: Provided, hovjever, That nothing in this Act provided shall be 

 construed to impair any right or obligation acquired or imposed under the 

 provisions of said Act numbered Two hundred nine for sponge concessions 

 existing at the time of the passage of this Act 



All records carried by the Government of the Department of Mindanao 

 and Sulu under the provisions of said Act Numbered Two hundred nine 

 are hereby transferred to the office of the Secretary of the Interior. 



Sec. 16. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to persons gathering 

 sponges outside of the limits of the concessions, provided the daily amount 

 of sponges gathered by them does not exceed five kilograms. 



Sec. 17. This Act shall take effect on its passage. 



Enacted, February 4, 1916. 



TORTOISE SHELL FISHERIES 



Aviount and value of the shell. — During 1914, 2,296 kilograms 

 of tortoise shell, valued at 34,947 pesos, were exported from the 

 Department of Mindanao and Sulu. The value of the shell de- 

 pends largely upon the marking and ranges from 4 pesos per 

 kilogi'am for the small shell to 167 pesos per kilogram for the 

 first grade. It is sold by the catty, which is about equal to 1.4 

 pounds or 0.63 kilogram. The style in tortoise shell changes 

 frequently; just now dark shell with but few spots is preferred. 



Kinds of sea turtles. — There are three species of sea turtles 

 that are of considerable commercial importance in the Philip- 

 pines. These are the hawksbill, the loggerhead, and the green 

 turtle. The hawksbill produces the thick tortoise shell of com- 

 merce. This turtle has a hooked bill, and its back is made up of 

 13 larger plates, which overlap each other, and 25 smaller plates, 

 which form the margin. The loggerhead turtle also has a hooked 

 bill, but is distinguished by having 15 plates on the back and 

 27 around the margin. The flesh is usually tainted with a 

 fishy odor. The green turtle has a straight bill, and the plates 



