News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-09-27
SOMETHING ABOUT TURTLES,
"A French Jusuit Clergyman and His
Very Remarkable Hobby.

San Francisco, Calm trampin
around this little earth one meet
with some odd characters-men who's
tancles and tastes develop in queer lines
one OF tbs most conspicuous example
l ever met was Jesuit clergyman, VIII
divided his time between looking afte
the welfare of the souls of heathens an,
studying the habits Of turtles.
Turtles were his hobby. OF them b.
talked by day and dreamed by night
| have seen the old man sitting on th
deck of his Chinese houseboat surround
ed by turtles dead and alive, turtles bis
and turtles small. He had collected
over forty species of the genus turtle
and it was the delight of his life to fine
/ somebody who took the least particle o.
interest in his researches.
He knew all about his subject; could
tell when and where and how they
''nested"; could describe there eggs,
their feed, how the young found their
way into the world from the sand bank,
where they had been warmed into being
by the heat of the sun, and found them
selves buried under the sand sometimes
several feet deep. He was connoisseur
in turtle meat and eggs. He would
smack his lips over bowl of turtle soup
and rice and, indeed, kings have filed
their stomachs with less delicate food.
A novelty i'll my interview with the natu-
rallst was that he could not speak any
language in common and called in the
services of the Chinese Interpreter.
The priest spoke in addition to his own
tongue, the Chinese language. 1 spoke
only the English.
Through the medium of an interpreter,
therefore, he told me much about his
hobby. I knew but little about turtles.
L could tell one when l saw it, but knew
all species simply as turtles. The en-
thusiast told me much about the differ
ent varieties, and 1 found myself much
interested in what he had to say. He
had followed the tracks of the clumsy
beings from their element as they had
their heavy bodies through the
sands to their nesting and feeding
grounds. Some species measure over
six feet in length, and when they creep
over the soft sand they leave track not
unlike the impression made by a saw
log being dragged over the ground.
He had followed these with character
stic patience, and watched them bur-
row into the sand, and had digged up
The result in the shape Of no less than
hundred eggs left at single Ginning"
The female of most species digs into the
earth and deposits hor eggs. 1t is not
to find barrel of eggs in q
ingle hole, where one after another has
Ing into the same spot to economic
abor. The eggs are about the size of
hat Of the guinea hen, and are as round
S marbles. They are much sought
fter for food, and gathering these eggs
orms large industry in all Southern
ca islands.
Turtle hunting is also largely engaged
l by the islanders, The hunter arms
imsef with board about foot wide !
nd six feet long, and tracks noiselessly ;
Ong the shore until he finds where one +,
as left the water for q stroll on the !
lore. The animals are very shy and
e11 rni aeoIpg of tH is as aete f on .,t the first
ad for the sea, and the board is put al
wn before them, and when they get %
I'll over it a sudden ''yank" lands them
Jon their backs, and they are unable to
It away. Here they are left until day
yht when they are gathered in for
or sold in the markets. S
LIS IldlOEllJ VI ItlItloo oAS Sf1 hANOA- =.
Is, although some are vegetarian. They t
bsist largely upon crustaceans. The t
lrf lines the shore with beautiful t
lells. I
The low orders of animal life that
lid these vari-colored and many a
laped shells have fallen victims to the v
anger of turtles. They nip off the '
eshy portions of conches, and leave c
le remainder of the carcass to decay,
hen the shells float to the surface and f
e washed ashore. Here they bleach c
the sun until picked up and sold, s
hen they find their place in the home I
I civilized peoples, where they take !
leir place as door props, ornaments or
inner horns, as the fates may decrea.
Japanese waters abound with many
rge varieties of turtles, and the delicate
arved jewelry and ornaments of Japan
Sc make are celebrated the world over.
The more "Father de Vinci' dis
oursed upon his theme the more inter
sted 1 became, and really one might
pend his spare hours in a less enter
aiming way than in the study 0; the life,
abits and destiny of turtles. ,