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  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  AIR 
  VIEW 
  OE 
  THE 
  MIAMI 
  AQUARIUM 
  BUILDINGS, 
  MIAMI 
  BEACH, 
  FLORIDA, 
  OPENED 
  

  

  TO 
  THE 
  PUBLIC 
  JANUARY, 
  10,21 
  

  

  thrives 
  on 
  turtle-grass, 
  lettuce, 
  and 
  purs- 
  

   lane, 
  or 
  "pusley." 
  It 
  will 
  eat 
  flesh, 
  but 
  

   lives 
  much 
  better 
  on 
  vegetable 
  foods. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  clanger 
  that 
  these 
  turtles 
  will 
  

   be 
  wiped 
  out 
  of 
  existence. 
  They 
  are 
  far 
  

   less 
  numerous 
  than 
  in 
  past 
  seasons, 
  due 
  

   to 
  the 
  natives 
  digging 
  the 
  eggs. 
  The 
  

   female 
  turtle 
  visits 
  the 
  beaches 
  from 
  

   April 
  until 
  June 
  to 
  deposit 
  her 
  eggs. 
  This 
  

   she 
  does 
  by 
  digging 
  a 
  hole 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  

   from 
  14 
  to 
  18 
  inches 
  in 
  the 
  sand, 
  where 
  

   she 
  lays 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  egg 
  to 
  200. 
  On 
  

   the 
  fourteenth 
  night 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  de- 
  

   posit 
  — 
  on 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  second 
  

   crawl 
  — 
  she 
  returns 
  to 
  lay 
  more 
  eggs 
  close 
  

   by 
  her 
  first 
  nest. 
  

  

  Not 
  only 
  do 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  

   where 
  the 
  turtles 
  crawl 
  rob 
  the 
  nests, 
  but 
  

   they 
  frequently 
  catch 
  the 
  turtle 
  after 
  she 
  

   has 
  deposited 
  her 
  eggs, 
  thus 
  wiping 
  out 
  at 
  

   one 
  stroke 
  both 
  the 
  mother 
  and 
  all 
  her 
  

   potential 
  progeny. 
  

  

  BIRDS 
  ARE 
  ENEMIES 
  OP 
  THE 
  GREEN 
  TURTLE 
  

  

  Although 
  statutes 
  covering 
  the 
  protec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  turtles 
  are 
  written 
  into 
  the 
  

   laws 
  where 
  these 
  reptiles 
  were 
  formerly 
  

   plentiful, 
  the 
  marauders 
  continue 
  their 
  

   work 
  of 
  despoliation. 
  Yet 
  even 
  now 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  1,500 
  and 
  2,000 
  green 
  turtles 
  are 
  

  

  brought 
  annually 
  to 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  mar- 
  

   kets, 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  being 
  130 
  

   pounds. 
  

  

  Man, 
  although 
  the 
  greatest, 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  turtle. 
  When 
  the 
  

   young 
  are 
  hatched, 
  they 
  dig 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  

   of 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  immediately 
  make 
  toward 
  

   the 
  sea. 
  Their 
  instinct 
  in 
  locating 
  the 
  

   proper 
  direction 
  is 
  unerring, 
  and 
  freshly 
  

   hatched 
  turtles, 
  flipped 
  like 
  a 
  coin 
  and 
  

   turned 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  sea, 
  will 
  wheel 
  

   around 
  and 
  make 
  directly 
  for 
  the 
  salt 
  

   water. 
  The 
  pelican 
  and 
  man-o'-war 
  bird 
  

   swallow 
  the 
  young 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  observe 
  

   the 
  small 
  creatures 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  

   water, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  reach 
  the 
  water 
  they 
  

   are 
  harassed 
  by 
  their 
  fellow 
  sea-dwellers. 
  

  

  The 
  hawks-bill, 
  or 
  shell 
  turtle, 
  is 
  with- 
  

   out 
  question 
  the 
  most 
  beautiful 
  of 
  *sea 
  

   turtles. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  producer 
  of 
  the 
  much- 
  

   valued 
  tortoise 
  shell 
  of 
  commerce. 
  This 
  

   species 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  

   in 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  where 
  its 
  members 
  

   deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  from 
  May 
  to 
  July. 
  It 
  

   is 
  also 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   of 
  Mexico, 
  south 
  to 
  Brazil 
  and 
  the 
  Straits 
  

   of 
  Florida, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  rare 
  in 
  

   the 
  last-named 
  section 
  to 
  an 
  even 
  greater 
  

   extent 
  than 
  the 
  green 
  turtle. 
  Large 
  

  

  