The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-10-03

and tumbling about in the placid waters OF
cool lagoons, keeps them in good food, and
gives to life that spice of adventure which
all men, civilized or savage, crave.
SPONGE FISHING.
The sponge fishery of the South Seas is
an industry which evidently requires only
enterprise and organized labor to become
very profitable The sponges ofthe Pacific
are generally regarded as inferior to those
of the Levant and Red Sea, but the differ
ence seems to lie in certain processes of
preparing for market, which are known to
the Arabs, but not in the Pacific. The best
sponges in these seas are mushroom shaped,
and vary from the size of mans fist to two
feet in diameter. When removed from the
coral rock to which they cling they are
hard, heavy and black as tar. They are
cleansed by being suspended on frame
work upon sandy beaches, where the tide
Gibbs and flows. When the tide is out and
they are exposed to wind and sun their
pulpy substances decays, and whenthe tide
rises the refuse matter is washed away.
Thus prepared they are sold by the island
ers at the rate of four of the largest sponges
for yard of calico worth or s cents.
TORTOISE SHE'LL HUNTING.
Tortoise-shell is also q valuable and pro-
fuse product of the South Seas; or rather,
| should say, turtle-shell, since the true
tortoise is a land animal. TortOises there
are, also, but their shell is of little value,
and on the Galapagos Island a species ex-
lists which sometimes attains weight OF
half ton. A seaman of a New Bedford
whale-ship some years ago was missed by
his companions on these islands. They
sought for him for several days without
success, and were about to leave without
him when they were surprised to see him
coming down from the mountains driving
one Of these huge brutes with club.
This was the largest specimen ever heard
of, and was probably hundreds of years
old. The sailor had spent several days and
nights, with pure Yankee pertinacity, in
guiding the clumsy brute from the noun
tains to the seashore. These tortoises and
multitudes of hideous iguanas seem to be
the only inhabitants of the Galapagos,
which are a mass of extinct and barren vol
canoes. The sea turtles, whose shells are
alone valuable, furnish the natives with an
immense amount of useful articles, and for
objects for which the shells cannot be util-
lied the animals bones are used. From
| the shoulder blades are made knives quite
as effective as steel knives would be, requir-
ing seldom to be sharpened and taking an
edge like a razor. The turtles ordinary
weight is 400 pounds, and, besides its
shell, possesses a valuable article in oil, for
which traders pay dollar gallon.
There are several curious ways of catch
ing turtles. When lying asleep on the
water in the sun, canoe will silently
approach, its crew seizes the animal and
tumble him aboard 'before he knows where
he is" He is turned on his back, for
otherwise he would climb out and swamp
the boat in short order. A native will also
swim up quietly behind the sleeping beast
spring on the back of his shell and hold on
in such way that he cannot dive. Having
no idea of escaping in any other way, he
can be steered whithersoever his captol
chooses. Considerable agility and nerve
are necessary in accomplishing this feat, fol
if the man should miss his leap and fal
back into the water he is liable to be dang
erously cut by the animals fippers. Al
inexpert person or one who wished to have
some fun with the turtle might grasp hin
by the tail. If so, like the Irishman who
devised the plan of catching bull by tht
horns and rubbing his nose in the dirt, ht
will do we'll to have his laugh first. The
turtle has his idea of joke, too, which i.
instantly to shut his tail close up to his
body, whereby the mans hand is held as
fast as in wise, and then dive with him tt
the bottom of the sea. Most of the turtles
however, are captured on the beaches
whittier the females land to lay their eggs
and the males accompany them out Of gal
lantry or to keep guard, The eggs are
laid in perpendicular cavity about yard
deep, at the bottom of great circular ex
cayation, which the female scrapes by
whirling around like fly with its wings
singed, and violently plying its fippers
There are usually over hundred eggs in
litter. When surprised, the turtle offers NJ
resistance, but makes off at pace surpris-
ingly rapid in so clumsy an animal, and
which good runner can hardly keep W
with in the sand, To turn turtle weigh
ing 400 pounds on its back and thus cap
ture it, while it is scuttling through deeI
sand, requires more knack than strength
A turtles progress on land is by a series o
wriggling jerks from side to side, and thu
fisher, taking advantage of the moment
when it cauts away from him, overturns i
with ease, The young are Matched in ;
month, making their appearance wher
about the size of an American silver dollar
and are prepared to begin life on their owl
hooks at once, which they do by rushin!
for the sea as rapidly as possible. Many
Of them never reach it, however, bein.
caught by birds if it be day, and by til,
landcrabs at night.
PEARL SHELL FISHING.
Perhaps the most lucrative of all tho
enterprises of the South Pacific is that o
the pearl and pearl-shell fisheries, in which
large fortunes have already been made
chiefly through the recent great demand
for the mother-of-pearl in Europe, where
within few years, its utility has been de
monstrated in thousand directions befor,
unsupported. Prodigious profits were made
on the shores of North Australia until tht
Government, pandering to the demands oi
the ''labor' element-the greatest curse
the country has ever had-prevented the
men engaged in the enterprise from EN-
ploying the only labor that could be got
for such purpose. Even better opportu
mites exist in the South Sea Islands, fol
the shell is equally good, labor is obtain
able on the spot, and food is produced
spontaneously at the scene of operations
Pacific shell has not been in such favor in
Europe as that from other localities, chiefly
because of the carelessness of its treatment
by the fishers, who leave it lying about in
the hot sun and so destroy its lustre, Thus
the Tahitian shell has fetched only 5000 q