The Hawlcs-Ml Turtle. 523 
THE HAWK'S-BILL TURTLE, (Chelonia imbricata,) 
Has received its name from the peculiar formation of 
the upper jaw, which terminates in a curved point, like 
the beak of a bird of pre} 7 . It is smaller than the Green 
Turtle, the largest specimens being about three feet in 
length. Its flesh is a very indifferent, if not unwhole- 
some, article of food ; but the horny plates with which 
its back is covered, and which lie over one another like 
the slates on the roof of a house, are beautifully mottled, 
and constitute the well-known tortoiseshell of commerce, 
which is so much used for making combs and various 
ornamental articles. It is only the best kind of tortoise- 
shell, however, that is taken from the Hawk's-bill Turtle. 
The shell that is usually seen is taken from commoner 
kinds. A very large quantity of tortoise-shell is im- 
ported into Europe every year, and the traffic in it forms 
a very important part of the trade of those countries in 
which turtles abound. 
