Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-14
TURTLE E-CATCHING
IT 0oLOR- S BAY, on THE COAST
OF YUCATAN.
Fatching the Turtles by Moonlight
Making a Capture and Securing the
Captive The Hawk BiII and
the Carey-Ths Egxs


The ar was eXquisiIely soft and balmy,
nd the moon so brilliant thai ever, meet
Gg clGud WAS rejected in the c,ear water
DO'ores bay. while the white sand Of
he shore glitGercd under our feet as We
aunie:ed along en- Dying the beauty Of
ihe scene
in this peGceful bay. six miles from the
astern coast of ucatan. the spanish
hips anchored nearly 100 years ago. aud
the con iuerors named the p ace island
hugeres or Womans is and because in
the temples Of the Eatiyes they found
many images of wameh. One Of
those quaint sanctuar es still stands
at the south point Of the island on an
1minenee whose rocky foundation is
being washed away atom by atom, by
ever er-seething waves that perpetually dash
against it. 1; is deserted spot, the few
inhabitants of the island all dwelling in
the village Of Eolores Just in front of the
bay. Their principal industry is fishing,
and from the month of April 10 August
all their attention is given TO turtle CATCH
ing So on that moon light night as We
strolled along the beach. men, women
and children weuded their way to the
north end of the island. where all was
silent as the white tomb stones in the
village grave yard by which We passed,
some Fastening their steps as il they
feared some departed friend might stalk
forth in winding sheet
eaching a place where thick bushes
grew, not far from the waters edge, all
concealed themselves behind the bushes
or in the shadows cast BY them. and
from their hiding place watched silently
for the turtles These pro ific creatures
come to lay their eggs In the sand, never
failing 70 select spot above high-water
mark, consequently at low tide they have
TO go good way up the beach. Having
chosen place they Cuickly make hole
in the sand and deposit therein about 100
eggs, over which they again put the sand,
leaving the spot in appearance as they
found it. so that no one would discover
the nest but for the tracks of the turtle,
which Immediately returns TO the water,
leaving the eggs to be Matched by the heat
of the sun; and in due time the little
turtles make their way out and 20 straight
way to the water
When the turtle begins to cover the
eggs the people creep from their hiding
place and cut off her way to the water:
then, when she starts toward them. they
capture her and turn her over, not with
out trouble, for some weigh as much az
200 pounds The flaps are then tied and
O mark set on the shell. so that when
morning comes each party may know
which they have captured The family
that catches two or three In night is well
satisfied
The turtles have formidable jaws, and
1t is necessary to keep ones hands well
out of their reach. for they can break q
mans limb as we can Q match As for
conchs-most abundant in those waters
though the shell Is hard to break with
hammer, the cahusmo easily cracks II. to
eat the delicious contents
The cahuamo, or hawk bill. Is the larg-
est kind of turtle. weighing from 200 TO
500 pounds Its flesh tastes like good
beef, but is generally left on the beach to
rot and be consumed by buzzards, the
people not being numerous enough to at
it all, though large quantities are dried
and salted to be sold as ierked beef Some
people once went TO considerable expense
it turned bad in the cans
The people gather the eggs. the fat,
and the shell. though the last is worth so
little that they do not always take the
trouble to lift it from the beach; many are
scattered over the sand The eggs are
considered great delicacy. and taste
very rich, but have a strange sandiness
that is unpleasant to the palate
The carey helonie imbricats) Ii
smaller and Of more value The least the
islanders will take for the shell is two and
q half or three dollars pound; rather
than accept less they viii keep it in their
house from one year to another. The
carey, as well as the green turtle, is caught
with hsrpoons and nets The green tur-
tie is carried to British Honduras. where
the shell not icing used The poor Great
ures are transported in small sailing ves-
sels where they lie on their back on deck
exposed to the scorching sun. and once Q
day have buckets Of water dashed over
them to keep them alive.