March, 1921. The Irish Nafuralist. 29 



TURTLES ON THE IRISH COAST. 



BY R. F. SCHARFF, B.SC, PH.D. 



Miss M. J. Delap, of Valentia Island, who is a well-known 

 and valuable correspondent of the Irish Naturalist, sent 

 a dead turtle to the Museum on the 27th January last. 

 In the letter accompanymg tliis rare and interesting speci- 

 men she alluded to the fact that there had been a tremendous 

 drift lately of Velella and other floating organisms. During 

 the great storms of the 17th and i8th of January and for 

 several days after the shores of Valentia Island were strewn 

 w^ith living Velella in every stage of development from one 

 to seventy millimetres in length. Miss Delap also 

 succeeded in hatching the eggs of Velella (which is a 

 floating hydrozoan) and she reported the larvae to be 

 " gaily swimming about in my sea- water tank." She also 

 found one lanthina (a floating mollusc with a purple shell) 

 and parts of two Spirulas (cuttles with coiled shells). No 

 doubt, as Miss Delap suggests, the turtle has been conveyed 

 to the Irish coast by the same storms. 



The turtle reached the Museum a couple of days later, 

 and it was quite evident from its condition that it had 

 only died recently. There were no marks on the body 

 to show that it had been dashed against the rocks ; never- 

 theless that was probably the cause of death. It presented 

 no signs of decay and the under surface of the body was 

 covered with a growth of some hydroid which could not be 

 named, as the turtle had been greatlv knocked about 

 during the transit from Kerry to Dublin. 



Inclusive of the head, the turtle measured 13 J inches 

 and weighed 4 lbs. 7 ozs. The shell, which almost covers 

 the body, was gf inches long and 9 inches wide. The 

 strong keels in the middle of the upper surface of the shell, 

 the serrated posterior margin, the number of marginal 

 plates, the large head with its powerful hooked jaws, and 

 the fact that the flippers had two claws, all confirmed the 

 view that we had to deal with a young specimen of the 

 Loggerhead Turtle [Thalassochelys caretta). Its flesh is 

 not palatable like that of the Edible Turtle and the tortoise- 

 shell is of no commercial value. The species grows to 



A 



