188 
METHOD Or DEPOSITING TIIE EGGS. 
BU re to the sun favours tbe laying of the eggs. The arratm 
are found on the beach a great part oi the day dinang too 
whole month of February. At the beginning of March the 
straggling troops assemble, and swim towards the small nun 
her of islands on which they habitually deposit then egg»- 
It is probable that the same tortoise returns every year to 
the same locality- At this period, a few days before they 
lay their eggs, thousands of these animals may be seen 
ranged in long files, on the borders ot the islands of Lueu- 
ruparu, TTruana, and Pararuma, stretelung out their necks 
and holding tlielr heads above water, to see whether they 
have anything to dread. The Indians, who are anxious that 
the bauds when assembled should not separate, that the 
tortoises should not disperse, and that the laying ot the 
eggs should he performed tranquilly, place sentinels at ccr 
tarn distances along the shore. The people who pass n 
boats are told to keep in the midd e of the river, and not 
frighten the tortoises by cries. The laying ot the eggs 
takes place always during the night, and it begins soon attu 
sunset. With Its hind feet which are very ong, and ba- 
nished with crooked claws, the animal digs a hole of three 
feet in diameter and two in depth. These tortoises teclso 
pressing a desire to lay their eggs that some of t l ea 
descend into holes that have been dug by others, but whicj 
are not yet covered with earth lhere they deposit a ne£ 
Inver of eggs on that which has been recently laid. In tins 
tumultuous movement an immense number oi eggs • 
broken. The missionary showed us, by removing the sam 
in several places, that this loss probably amounts to a lb ' 
of the whole quantity. The yolk of the broken eggs eon 
tributes, in drying, to cement the sand; ami we found \ . 
large concretions of grains of quartz and broken, she ‘ 
The number of animals working on the beach during t 
nio-ht is so considerable, that day surprises many ot then 
before the laying of their eggs is terminated. They .ag 
then urged on by the double necessity of depositing tfaci 
eggs, and closing the holes they have dug that theyfag 
not be perceived by the jaguars. The tortoises that th 
remain too late are insensible to their own danger 1 « j, 
work in the presence of the Indians, who visit the 
