48 REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



in New York Harbor, where they appear to be perfectly 

 at home. With the approach of fall, when the waters 

 become chilled, they become benumbed, then fall a prey 

 to fishermen. 



The Hawk's-Bill Turtle, Chelonia imbricata, is 

 unique among the sea turtles in having the shields of 

 the carapace coarsely overlapping, like shingles — imbri- 

 cate. The head is quite narrow and the upper mandi- 

 ble projects downward in hooked fashion, like the bill of 

 a hawk — hence the pojjular name. Smallest of the sea 

 turtles, this species has the greatest commercial value. 

 A carapace of a very large example is two and a half 

 feet long, while the average length is considerably below 

 this. Smooth and translucent, the shields of the cara- 

 pace are beautiful^ marked in marbled fashion with 

 black and yellow, or rich brown and yellow; beneath 

 the color is uniform yellow ; the shields of the head and 

 limbs are brown or black tinged brightly about their 

 borders with a pale yellowish hue. 



Inhabiting the tropical and semi-tropical seas of both 

 the Old and the New World, the Hawk's-Bill Turtle 

 is continually hunted over the greater part of its exten- 

 sive range. The valuable "tortoise" shell, obtained only 

 from this reptile, is composed of the thin, clear, horny 

 shields covering the bony portion of the carapace. The 

 shields are removed from the shell by heating it, when 

 they commence to peel and are assisted in the process 

 by the operator. As the operation often involves a liv- 

 ing reptile the martyred creature is turned loose after- 

 wards, for the belief is that it grows a new coat of 

 shields. While the theory is partially correct, actual 

 conditions do not affirm the primary idea; for the turtle 

 sometimes reproduces a thin veneer of shields that are 

 of absolutely no commercial value. 



