Evening journal., 1890-01-27

the hiding place for him and he sinks
few inches in the soft spot that betrays
the terrapins bed. Under certain con-
ditions of the marsh and weather this is
often the best way TO discover beds. The
hunter then uses his feet instead Of his
eyes.
Once found, the soft marsh mud Is
probed with the spear to find the victim.
He is usually found snugly hidden away
under the roots of the marsh grass.
The experienced hunter knows when his
spear strikes the terrapin's shell, and
having located him he withdraws the
spear and uses his hook. Thrusting the
rod into the mud lie gets the hook around
the shell and brings the roughly awak-
ened reptile to the surface. He is quickly
consigned to the bag, and the hunter
goes on. On warm days, after Christ
mas, the terrapins sometimes leave their
beds and take to the water, or after
creeping about a few hours find new
bed. The hunters can usually recognize
an abandoned bed by its appearance.
AS the tide rises, or the day wanes, the
hunter ceases his wanderings and goes
home; sometimes with heavy bag over
his shoulder, again with single terrapin,
or none at all. Perhaps he goes to the
nearest store to sell his catch, for it is
thus that he realizes on them. Nearly
all of the store keepers buy them and
ship them to restauranters or fish dealers
in Baltimore or Philadelphia. The prices
obtained for them by the patient and in
dustrious hunter are so cents for those
Of five inches length of shell; $1.25 for
those between five and six inches and So
up to seven inches. The storekeeper
n a hrnd hor a
| and the last man that sells them gets
as much as from $36 to $45 dozen.
Seven inches is the average largest size,
but one is occasionally caught seven and
three-quarter inches in diameter. This is
as large as they grow. The law prohibit
| ing the catching of diamond backs Of
under five inches length of shells is fire.
quently violated and terrapins four and a
half inches and sometimes less in length
are put on the market as five inch dia-
mond- baczs
Il is for the chefs and cooks of famous
restaurants to say how this delicacy
should be prepared for cultivated palates.
There are not many cooks who know how
to prepare the dish, so as to obtain all
the possibilities of epicurean delight
that it contains, and for this reason, per-
haps, as much as its expensiveness the
dish has never attained great popularity.
Those who taste terrapin, properly pre-.
pared are slaves forever after to its
charms.
The late United States Senator George
R. Dennis Of Maryland, had his home in
the midst Of one of the counties where
| diamond backs of the Chesapeake flavor
are Indigenous. This was at Kingston, in
Somerset comfy. Public men who knew
DR.. Dennis, and who know what properly
cooked terrapin is, can testify to the de.
hghtful terrapin suppers that he used to
give during his term in the United States
| Senate
The apparent margin for large profits
in terrapin, have led to several attempts
to grow them upon "terrapin farms. F."
All such efforts have failed. The favor
of the diamond back was so impaired by
the food used under such conditions
that no demand was found for them.
Nothing can be used as substitute for
natural food, selected by the tortoises
themselves, and for the natural condi.
tions of wild existence, all Of which
doubtless contribute to the genuine flavor
of the flesh. F. w. HAROLD.