, 1874-09-13
THE HOME OF THE TURTLES.
Catching Them on the Ocean Beach
in Eastern Florida.
How Bear Goes Egg-Hunting.


seacoast from the great pine woods and cypress
swamps Of the interior. They arc drawn to the
ocean beach in search OF turtle egga, for which
they have keen rellEh- The turtles break from
the sea on tho night Of May7 From that time
to the LIST Of September they th1ong the beach
After depositing their eggs beneath tho burning
sand, they settle down among the coral rocks
that appear above the water at low tide. There
they are caught by the fow people living along
the coaet between St. Augustine and Key West,
who are thus furnished with delcacy almost
unknown in Northern latitudes. Some OF the
fishermen carry their turtles to kcy West, but
the market there is generally oyerstocked, and
the business Is by no means romuncratlve.
CATCHING GREEN TuRTLEs-
OF all the turtles frequentinS the beach, the
green turtle is most highly priced In early
spring many of these are caught in ncts In the
Indian. HiIlsborough. and Halifax Rivers The
water in salt and subject to tho action of the
tide. Tho nets are stretched across the channels
of the rivers As the turtles come numbering
along with the current, they are entaneled in the
meshes and captured. The fisherman drops his
prey in what il termed q crawl where it is
kept awaiting tue market demand, or until its
captors banker for turtle steaks or soup. The
turtle crawls are distinguishing features Of the
salt water rivers. Cypress stakes are driven into
the sand and water some rods from the shore. in
the form Of square. The water is from 2 to 3
feet III depth. aud flows through the intervals
between the stakes. At distance the crawls
look like pig-peas at anchor. The word ''crawl"
i'll probably corruption Of the Spanish correl.
Tie natives persist in procouncing and spelling
it c-E-a-W-l-
While in captivity the turtle seems perfectly at
home. lie III purely u water-hog. As long Is
lns stomach is filled he is happy. He is fed Pc
culiar grass, resembling pulse that is found up
on the bottom Of the nvcrs. It is this grass
that gvos the green turtlo delicious flavor.
Like the canras-back duck. be subsists entirely
upon vegetarian diet. The loEgerheads and
etl:cr varieties cat fish, and are not 20 eagerly
sought.
THE E1Na OF THE SANDS.
Tho beach il tie suumer-resort OF the coarser-
grained turtles A few green oues troop along
loggerheads and shellbacks The king OF the
sands is the great trunk-backed turtle. He car
RIGS shell built up from bis back like tower,
and presents an interesting appearaace as he
crasls along the sand. Bcachcombers say that
their shells from to feet thick The
flesh is regarded as = great luxury, and single
shells are sold to NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. at prices
ranging from $50 to $100. The hnnk-back,
however, is becoming very scarce. None are
taken north O. Lake Worth. They keep below
the line Of frost. In sizo they are enormous.
Mr. Charles Mnoro, OF Castle Rag, tells mo he
has trapped them weighing from GOO 10 800
pounds It is hard to say what causes the pecr-
liar conformation OF tho she'll Mr.. Moore
thinks they. are centenarian loggerheads, and
that each ridge is the weight Of q certain num-
ber Of years. Their necks are shriyelcd- and
they bear the marks Of old age in their faces.
They bite fcrociousiy. and cculd easily nip of
leg or an arm.
THE LE.ruER-nAcE AND TIE GOPHER.
Turtles caught on tine beach between Jupiter
and Cupe Sable average from 100 to $50 p ::ds-
Many people eat the loggerhead. Some declare
that they preferit 70 the green turtle. Tho de-
sccndants OF the Minoreans cook it in wsy
tha. destroys the fi*Nv taste. and renders tho
meat extremely pala.able. Its breath is feted
and disagreeab1e, but there is nothing offensive
about green turtle.
Tic mos. delicious of all is the leather-back.
This is 4 SIN all turtle. found in. both fresh and
salt water. At the edges its shell il soft
jujube paste, but increases in sofidity Is it
mounts tie lack. Tha centre Of the back is Of
circular form about the size OF h trado dollar,
and hard as ivory. The leather-aacE is taken
while sleeping upon the surface Of ths water.
long-handlcd gaG-hook, the point of which is
jezked through the soft portion Of the shell.
Along Lake Worth these turtles arc found iu
abundance They are Of q dark color, lacking
the light grassy hue OF tho green turtle aud the
delicate yellow OF the log5crhead. 1t is not un-
common turtle floating upon the water
asleep while pair of gulls arc making love
upon its back-
have heard F1oridians speak highly OF q
land-turtle which artans large ssze in the
tho ground. They call it gopher. It resem-
bles the common lAnd-tu1tle of New York and
New Jersey, and is protected by hinged door
OF shell, both fore and aft. Negroes and Indians
so into ecstacies owe. its stcanliils soup.
HOW TCRTLE a1AEE9 NEBT.
Tho inhabitants OF tie coast, however, prize
its eggs far above tho turtle. Females begin
laying On the 7th OF May. Old turtle-catchers
assert this date with much positiVeness. They
ray that no turtle was ever known to drop an
upon the beach at night. Their course upon tue
sand is marked By the trailing OF their tails and
diprers. The trail from The water to poiut
above high tide is aa straight Us line. Ap-
l,roachins chosen npot, the turtle makes gen.
tie swerye to tho north, and sounds the sand
With her fippers. Satisfied of the deslrableness
Of the situation, she begins to dig hole. To
do this her hind flppcr3 alone axe used. Her
work is remarkable, If not artistic Tue hole is
shaped like the inside Of a large jug It's neck
.s small but it's interior CIRCULAR and from Is
to 20 or mora inches in diameter The sides are
smooth and rounded through the use Of the flip
pers. No workman in pottery could turn out q
job more true.
Frequently the turtle ia dissatisfied with her
labor. Probably she fluids the ground under |
mined by the bright-eyed sand-crabs that dance
along tho shore. In that case she makes curve
to the cast and marches directly TO the water.
emerging NJ some other point anu gong through
tue same performance. Sometimes she digs four |
or five holes before she begins to deposit her
eggs.
HOW TIRE FEtIAI4E LAYS HER EGGS.
Her nest finished, the female turtle settles |
down to Sorh. Up to this time she invariably
takes to water at the approach of stranger. !
After she begins to lay the presence Of 40 army
would not frighten her. A man could etand |
upon her back. and she would keep her position |
until tho last egg Was dropped DR.. Frank For,
q welI-known hunter OF New Smyrna, tells me !
that he once bear take bis stand behind q |
turtle on the ucst. Bruin caught the essa in al /
ternate paws as they fell and devou1ed them |
with smack Of the chops that could be heard at /
Tue distance Of 100 yards. Bears have been
known TO watch turtles for hours. and then tear
them to pieces because they showed no DISPOSE
lion to lay.
The eggs are deposited at depth of from Is !
% Is inches. They are not oval but round. and |
aearly the size OF hens egg. Tho shell is |
acxible, and white NJ snow. Il is as elastic as
rubber. Dent m egg with your thumb and the |
udentaton will last for hours. Egg hunters al
ways carry bag, in which they drop the eggs.
4 bag Of eggs eau To thrown across horse, the
,orse ridden at full gallop and not an oge bro
sen-
Apprip.Sc nr TIFF youS1 TUnTLE9