306 
NEGRIL BAY. 
THE TRUNK TURTLE. 
The following communication to the ‘ Morning 
Journal’ of April SOth, 1846, relating to the cap- 
ture of a Trunk Turtle {Sphargis coriacea), though 
drawn up with somewhat of that vulgar wonder that 
is common to newspaper science, yet seems sufficiently 
accurate to merit preservation, while the measure- 
ments are valuable, so far as they go. The scene of 
the capture was at no great distance from Bluefields, 
being at the extreme west end of the island. 
“ The anxiety of the fishermen in this little vil- 
lage was aroused on the 30th of last month, by the 
track of a huge Sea-monster called a Trunk-turtle, 
which came on the sea-beach for the purpose of 
laying her eggs. A search was made, when a hole 
in the sand was discovered, about four feet in depth, 
and as wide as the mouth of a half-barrel, whence 
five or six dozen white eggs were taken out; the 
eggs were of different sizes, the largest the size of a 
duck’s egg. On the morning of the 10th of this 
month, at half-past 5 o’clock, she was discovered by 
Mr. Crow, on the beach near the spot where she 
first came up ; he gave the alarm, when all the neigh- 
bours assembled, and got her turned on her back. 
She took twelve men to haul her about two hundred 
yards. I went and measured her, and found her 
dimensions as follows, — from head to tail, 6ft. 6in. ; 
from the outer part of her fore fin to the other end 
[to the tip of the other ?] 9ft. 2in. ; the circumference 
round her back and chest, 7ft. 9in. ; circumference 
