THE GREEN TURTLE. 
27 
“ Should she hear any more noise, or perceive any indication of danger, she instantly sinks 
and goes oh to a distance ; but should everything be quiet, she advances slowly towards the 
beach, crawls over it, her head raised to the full stretch of her neck, and when she has reached 
a place fitted for her purpose, she gazes all around in silence. Finding all well, she proceeds to 
form a hole in the sand, which she effects by removing it from under her body with her hind 
flappers, scooping it out with so much dexterity, that the sides seldom, if ever, fall in. The 
sand is raised alternately with each flapper as with a ladle, until it has accumulated behind her, 
when, supporting herself with her head and fore part on the ground, she, with a spring from 
each flapper, sends the sand around her, scattering it to the distance of several feet. 
“ In this manner the hole is dug to the depth of eighteen inches, or sometimes more than 
two feet. This labor I have seen performed in the short space of nine minutes. The eggs are 
then dropped one by one, and disposed in regular layers to the number of one hundred and 
fifty, or sometimes nearly two hundred. The whole time spent in this operation may be about 
twenty minutes. She now scrapes the loose sand back over the eggs, and so levels and smooths 
the surface, that few persons, on seeing the spot, would imagine that anything had been done 
to it. This accomplished to her mind, she retreats to the water with all possible despatch, 
leaving the hatching of the eggs to the heat of the sand. 
“When a Turtle, a loggerhead for example, is in the act of dropping her eggs, she will 
not move, although one should go up to her, or even seat himself on her back ; but the moment 
it is finished, off she starts, nor would it be possible for one, unless he were as strong as Her- 
cules, to turn her over and secure her.” 
The Green Turtle is a staple article of commerce in Key West, on the Florida Reef. It is 
abundant on the waters in the Florida straits, and along the Gulf coasts. The fishermen in 
the latter regions practise the plugging method of capturing it. In Key West, the Turtles are 
placed in “ crawls,” an enclosed space in shallow water, which allows of free circulation of sea 
water. Steamers plying to New York take on all that are supplied, for the Northern markets. 
We have seen the young of the Green Turtle in considerable numbers, in the shallow Inlets 
of the mangrove swamps on the southern extremity of Florida. These young are exceedingly 
good as edibles. The old ones feed in the same localities on the tender algse, which renders 
them delicate and fat. The other great sea Turtles are carnivorous, and prove very indifferent 
as food, though the garrison at Fort Jefferson issued the meat as rations a portion of the year. 
Its novelty, and change from beef occasionally, made it a welcome article of the commissary. 
The aspect of this species is quite in contrast with the loggerhead, the head of the Green 
Turtle being so much the smaller. 
Occasionally, the Green Turtle has been led on, by the influence of the warm waters of the 
gulf stream, to venture off the entrance of New York harbor — a dangerous locality, one would 
say, for such a highly prized edible. Fine specimens were kept in the New York Aquarium, 
where they could be observed with ease. Their peculiar movements in swimming remind 
one of the flight of a bird. 
Dr. Strobel informed Dr. Holbrook, the distinguished author on this subject, that Green 
Turtles taken at Tortugas Islands were marked by the wreckers, and kept in confinement at 
Key West, sixty miles distant. Some escaped, and were recaptured while laying eggs, on the 
same island in the Tortugas group as they were formerly taken from. 
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