Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-05-26
Alefan0rla 6az&tte
SATURDAY. MAY 26, 1877.
The Taurup. or Great Turtle.

|
Bad as are his habits 1.-THE piokerel), how
ever, be is not the only nor the worst enemy of
the poor, pestered trout. The great turtle, the
taurup or topper of the aborigiues, the snap
ping turtle of more refined dialects. is dead
ier foe, for he takes the mature fish, not the
mere 6pgerlings, which satisfy the picksrel.
The tauGup is horrible creature, one Of the
antediluviaus, cruelty 10 its eye, strength 10 it's
muscle, iupervousness 10 its shell, and neither
mercy nor gentle0ess 10 its heart or bowels.
| With equal independence it lives 90 land or 10
water, with equal courage 1t defends itself from
mau or beast. Ooe of forty, fifty or even sixty
pounds, to which weight they often attain, is
| 40 mean antagonist; when captured and drawn
into the boat, or cOrnered, IL turns. and rising
90 its black and Wrlnkied legs, not crawling
prone like an Ordinary turtle, but with head
extended, little yellow eyes gIitteriug, and sharp
| beak ready for the contest it advances defiant
| of all created things. Then it is no pleasant
object, nor agreeable companion within the
| narrow limits Of an ordinary boat, and the cap
| tor at such moment wishes he had done
| something else, and been good way ptf lostead
OF belUg just lu that particular spot at that mo-
meut of time. | remember one captured, of
quite sixty pounds Notwithstanding him a.
shore by the tail, and then ch Ipplng his head
halt off with an ax-which cleared the kitchen
quicker than the zoe folks y)uug folks, when
We undertook to put him lntv the wasb-boier
of boiling water, with a view to turtle soup
and another which moved its legs twenty four
hours after it was not only decapitated, but
dis.mboweIed. What az appealing spectacle
for the Society for the Prevention OF Cruely TO
Animals, and the other weak seuimenalists 10
general These fellows are dangerous TO deal
with, and must be approached with care; their
bite is terrible, their Jaws never relaxing till
the piece selZ ID upon comes out, and they are
possessed of qulckness OF motion which no
one would expect from their heavy, awkward
shape. They lay their eggs 10 the sand during
the warm days of early June, deposltog about
thirty or forty, and scratching out hole halt
the depth Of their bodies for the purpose. The
eggs are round, Dearly an inch in diameter, aud
OF delicate orange color, the she'll belog e1'
ceediugly thin like transparent paper, aud they
are left to hatch of themselves under the heat
OF the summers sun. Swapping turtles destroy
and devOur some of our finest trout, appro ioh-
iog them for that purpose from below, rising
slowly from the bottom, and looking more like
some black, rough bsrked log than living
creature, till they are near enough to dart out
their long neck and big head. The trout some
times escapes, bu. carries with him thereafter
the clear imprint of two horny Jaws on either
side of bis abdomen.-Robert B. Roosesett.
.iSHAD.--The New York correspondent of the
Louisville Courier Journal says:
"Sancho Panza blessed the man who invent
ed sleep lie ought also to have blessed him
who invented shad. A fresh shsd well brolled
makes delicious breakfast. At this season Of
the year the eastward bound traveller meets the
Potomac shad 10 Washington the Delaware
shad iu Philadelphia and the Connecticut shad
10 New York For the life Of me cannot tell
which is the best, a half section. Of a i've
pouuder from either river being alike serene
and seIfsatisfying in it's effects. There are
some bones 10 shad, aud to eujoy the fish per
tecty, as 10 eating qualls, the 6cgers should be
used, table etiquette to the contrary notwlth.
standing. There is, or was, school OF phllos
ophers who insisted that mau's disposition
and temperament were the results OF the diet
which nourshed him. wish the truth of this
could be definitely ascertalned. hat graft.
6caton it would be if We should discover that
the greater benefits came from those things
which We're the most palatable to our taste. VI
would we then, as now. coutioue to hunger at
ter the unatlaiuabe and thirst after that which
cost the most aud tasted the worst?
OPENING AND CLOSING OF MAILs.-Uutil
further notice the following will be the hours
for the opening and closing of the mails:
OPENING
Northern mails, 6:45 D. m. and and TOO pm.
Western mails, 845 u. m. and 100 p. III.
South hwestern, via Lynchburg and Gordons-
vile, 700 p. m.
Washing gton and Ohio, Round Hill to Alex
andris, $3.50 p. m.
Manassas Division, . 30 .. m.
Southern mails. via Richmond and Freder-
cksburg, Va, S:45 3 m. and l:30 p. m.
CLOSING.
Northern and Western mails, 4:45 p. m. and
800 p m
South western via Gordonsville and Lynch
burg, 6:0U g. m.
Washington and Ohio, Alexandria to Round
Hill, Va, 800 q. m.
Manassas Division, 600 9. m.
Southern, via fredericksburg and Richmond,
Va,4:45 D. m. and $50 p. m
@- General delivery window closes at 800 p.
m. Doors close at 800 p. m.
@.-Open on Sundays at g. m. and closes at
| 93U a. m.