Oct. 22, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
675 
turtle fishing in the west indies 
The little Cayman Islands, just south of 
Jamaica, are seldom mentioned in the peri¬ 
odicals of the world. Although the population 
of Grand Cayman is only 5,000 and of the lesser 
Caymans 1,000, these people lead busy lives. 
One of the industries is turtle fishing for sup¬ 
plying green turtles and the tortoise shell of 
commerce, to which the governor of Jamaica 
refers as follows in his annual report: 
“For about one hundred years the Cayman¬ 
ians have engaged in this industy, fishing for 
turtle chiefly around thg cays off the coast of 
Nicaragua. It was formerly the custom to 
bring the turtle from the cays to Grand Cay¬ 
man, where they were “crawled” for a few days 
or weeks and then to Jamaica for sale. It is 
the custom now to sell the turtle on the fishing 
ground, from whence they are taken (principally 
to Key West, Fla.) by boats run by the pur¬ 
chaser. Very few are imported into Grand Cay¬ 
man. This arrangement has caused a drop in 
the value of exports and imports, as the value 
of the turtle figured under both heads in 
former years. 
“In reality the present arrangement is more 
profitable to the turtle fishers and the country 
at large than the old arrangement, because: 
(1) The fisherman does not lose by the mortal¬ 
ity of turtle, which sometimes was great, owing 
to the long sea voyages; (2) he is paid for his 
turtle on delivery at the cays and brings his 
money back to Cayman to spend it; (3) he can 
remain fishing a longer period than formerly be¬ 
cause he can get rid of his turtle as he catches 
it. The above remarks apply only to the green 
turtle. The twenty vessels engaged in the in¬ 
dustry in the fiscal year 1909 caught 2,234 
turtles. 
“The inhabitants of the lesser islands engage 
in the fishing of the hawksbill turtle around the 
coast of Cuba and the coasts of the Cayman 
Islands. This turtle is rapidly decreasing in 
numbers. It is only valuable for its shell, the 
meat having no market value worth considering. 
The present price is about $5 a pound.” 
PIGEON FLIES WITH TRAIN. 
The speed at which birds fly is a subject of 
perennial interest, and many guesses have been 
made about it. We know of nothing so definite 
as the observation made years ago by George 
Bird and told of in “American Duck Shooting.” 
1 he following note from the Arkansas Gazette, 
reminds us of that observation, though here 
nothing is said about speed. The note says: 
“The pigeon that for the last month or more 
has been running with the Iron Mountain crews 
between Malvern and Arkadelphia, has extended 
its runs and now makes the trip from Walco 
to Gurdon, a distance of thirty-four miles. 
“A brakeman who made the trip over the di¬ 
vision this week reported at the union station 
that the pigeon made the down trip with his 
train, joining the crew at Walco and leaving 
them at Gurdon, which was the farthest point 
south it had been known to go previously. 
“For the last four or five weeks this pigeon 
has been flying along with the Iron Mountain 
trains. Some of the trainmen are said to re¬ 
gard it as a hoodoo and fear that its presence 
portends some disaster to them, but as yet no 
accident has happened to a crew while the bird 
was along. Others look upon the pigeon as a 
pet and are always glad to have it join them 
on a trip. 
“The trainmen say that the bird almost al¬ 
ways flies just ahead of the engine, about on a 
level with the headlight. On the last trip en¬ 
gineer Golleher, who was in the cab, tried to 
overtake it, but it was no use—the pigeon al¬ 
ways stayed just ahead. On this trip when the 
train stopped at Arkadelphia for water, the 
bird flew out to one side and rested in a tree 
until the fireman rang his bell for the start, 
when it resumed its place just in front of the 
headlight, flying at a suitable speed to remain 
about the same distance ahead, whether the 
train was going slow or fast.” 
The “Old Reliable” PARKER GUN 
Wins for the EHGHTH Time 
The Grand American Handicap. 
Score of 100 Straight from 19 Yards. 
At Chicago, Ill., June 23, 1910. 
Mr. Riley Thompson, of Cainsville, Mo., made this record, which has 
never before been equaled in this classic event. 
The Parker Gun, in the hands of Mr. Guy V. Dering, also won 
the Amateur Championship at Chicago, June 24, scoring 189 ex 200, 
shooting at 160 singles and 20 doubles. 
The Prize Winners and Champions shoot The PARKER GUN! 
Why don’t YOU? 
PARKER BROS. 
New York Salesrooms : 32 Warren St. Meriden, Conn. 
THE GAME BOOK 
Standard Big Game Measurements 
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A CLASSIC FOR SPORTSMEN. 
American Big Game in Its Haunts 
Boone and Crockett Club Series. 
Edited by GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL. 
An invaluable work not alone for the sportsman, but for the student 
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