{ 206 ) 
The Sea-Tortoise. 
\ 
r ~| ^ H E Sea-Tortoife is commonly call’d by our Sea-Captains Turtle, of which 
| there are three Sorts generally known and eaten by Europeans , tho’ not all 
efteemed equally good. The green Turtle is efteemed the beft Food, the Hawk¬ 
billed the next in Goodnefs, the Loggerhead the worft of the three Sorts, and fel- 
dom eaten. All thefe Sorts grow to a very large Size. The Subjects here figur’d on 
the Plate are of their natural Eignefs, juft when they Freak forth from the Egg : The 
upper Figure is in its natural State 5 the middle Figure reprefents the Head Sideways j, 
the lower Figure is of one that happened to be a Monfter, having two Heads. 
The Nofe is fharp-pointed, juft above which the Noftrils are placed near together, and 
feem to rife a little fi\ m the Head ; The Mouth is flit beyond the Eyes •, the under Chap has 
a Hook or Tooth at its Fnd, which is received into the Upper when the Mouth is fhut. See 
the Figure of the Head Sidew'ays. The Head is cover’d with Scales, of a dufky or b.'ackifh 
Colour on the Crown, and a little fpotted with Dufky on a Cream-Colour under the Eyes ; 
the Neck is cover’d with a loofe pliable Skin of a purplifh Flefh-Colour ; the Legs near the Body, 
the Tail, and all the Parts on the under Side (which are not hid by the Shell) are a’fo co¬ 
ver’d with a Skin of the fame Colour, See the lower Figure. The Shell on the upper Side 
hach thirteen principal large Scales or Parts, which are encompafled by twenty-five fmall 
ones, that on the outer Circumference are toothed, or like the Edge of a Saw,' as both Fi¬ 
gures exprefs: They are all of a dark or blackifn brown Colour, except' the Edges of the leffer 
Scales on their outer Sides, which are Yellow : T he Side Scales on the Back have each of them 
a Rifing in its Middle : The under Side hath a Sort of Breaft-P’ate of Shell, a little hollow in 
the Middle, which is joined to the Sides by other Scales or Parts of the Shell; the whole Shell 
beneath is of a reddifh-yellow Colour •, the dark Spot in the Shield is the Navel ; the Scales 
are fo exadtiy divided in the Figures, which were wro;e on the Plate dire&ly from Nature, 
that they need not be enumerated. The Feet (which nave Toes and Nails in the Land-Tor- 
toife) are flat and broad in this, and may rather be called Fins •, tho’ if they are ftridlly exa¬ 
mined, they have the Bones of the Toes running through them, but they are fixed and extend¬ 
ed with a fcaly Skin, fo as not to be fpread wider, or contracted •, they are covered above and 
beneath with Scales Dufky or Blackifli on their upper Sides, except a little Yellow round 
their Borders *, on their under Sides they are more Yellow, being only clouded with a dufky 
Colour at their Ends. On each Foot one of the Toes feems to be a little detached, with a 
fmall Claw on it. It hath a fmall Tail extending juft beyond the Sheil. The Shells both of the 
Land and Water-Kmd are fixed on a very ftrong bony Subftance, and will part from it by 
putting Fire under the Hollow of the bony Covering when it is taken off. It has a remark¬ 
able Wart on the Infide of each of the forward Fins about the Joint. 
Thefe are in the Collection of Dr. Mead , Phyfician in Ordinary to the King. I take the 
Subject before us to be the Hawk-Bill Turtle, from the Sharpnefs of its Beak, but cannot be 
certain, l not having feen the feveral Sorts to make the proper Diftinbfion. Sir Hans Slcane has 
given us the Manner of taking Turtle, and their Ufe in the tVeJi-Indies ; but their Figures and 
particular Defcriptions are omitted. See his Hijlory of Jamaica, Vol II P.331, 332 Mr. 
Catejby has figu. V the three Sorts above-mentioned. See his Natural Hifior of Carolina , 
Yol. II P. 38, 39, 40. but as none of his are any Thing like mine, I cannot determine its 
particular Species from him. 
G The 
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