PPIRE ER KS OF Ukr 
THE GREEN TURTLE 
The turtle, i.e. that of the Atlantic Ocean and of 
aldermen, of green fat and of tortoiseshell, has been 
from time to time on view at the Zoo. Indeed, fairly 
big specimens have been acquired to show to the public. 
It is not, however, from the nature of the case, a beast 
which shows great longevity in Regent’s Park. 
This Chelonian, and its immediate allies, are to be dis- 
tinguished from the land and aquatic tortoises by the 
fact that the limbs are much more perfect swimming 
organs. They have acquired the paddle form of the 
fish fin and of the whale’s flipper. In accordance with 
this they are purely marine, and only go on shore to 
lay their eggs. Like the testudinide, to which they 
are anatomically most nearly allied, they are vegetable 
feeders. Like other animals that inhabit the sea, the 
green turtle is very widely spread. That is a good 
thing for the banqueting halls of London, but (to 
quote a writer of some sixty years since) ‘‘ it would be 
quite superfluous to descant on the enthusiastic venera- 
tion in which turtle soup is held by our wealthy and 
discerning fellow-citizens.” It may, however, be per- 
missible to point out that turtle is a modern luxury. 
In the year 1754, on “ Saturday, July 13, the Right 
Hon. the Lord Anson made a present to the gentlemen 
of White’s Chocolate House of a turtle which weighed 
300 pounds weight.” And again, in 1753, there occurs 
this paragraph: “ Friday, Aug. 31, a turtle weighing 
350 pounds was eat at the King’s Arms Tavern, Pall 
Mall ; the mouth of an oven was taken down to admit 
the part to be baked.” These journalistic notes in- 
dicate that turtle was not a very common article of 
diet with our great-great-grandfathers. Turtles are 
caught in nets, with harpoons, and by the help of the 
sucking fish, Remova. When the reptiles come to 
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