The sun., 1891-06-28
BAD NEWS FOR HIGH LITERS
roor Prospect. for Observation-Disclosures
Propagation a Failure.

PROPAGATION q fsIure.
wAsHINeToN. June 27.-Although terrapin
! are becoming scarcer the number caught aud
sent TO market in MARYLAND last winter was
! abou; $4,000, against fowcr than 1000 In the
winter Of 1sSl-sl. This increase Is owing to
the growth of activity in tho business. many
more men being now engaged IN It. During
the last ten years tho catch OF North Caro-
. lima decreased from 25ol0 annually TO 5000
Nirginius catci h,s gone down only slighty,
from $1,000 to 3OOOb. while Delaware supplies
/ only 1000 OF the Precious tur les. agaiLst 5,tW
u decade ago. These four states furnish
/ pretty nearly the entire rroduct.
1t has been suggested that the Fish Com.
mission should take up the artificial Matching
OF terrapin. but there Is no probability appar-
entity that it will over do so. although 1t may
experiment with a view to instiuctlng private
individuals in tho besl metho Is for accom-
pi-hing such wurN.
During the las. few years several attempts
have been made In this direction, pounds" !"
being established FOR breeiing purposes, with
all suita bio conditions provided but they have
not pr ved successful. one such experiment
wa, made at Ito tnoke Island. n. C.,with stock
of several thousand eirapin. an area OF salt
marsh ior thcin 10 bed in. sand bank for
nests and FREQ access to the tides. The notion
was to III srely as list nature. the turtles being
permit tod to ds,o-it thor oEgs In the sand.
which was covered over IN the day time with
nets to koep the crows. biackbirds. and Rulls
from scra ching. When tho mother tortoise 10
ready to lay sho scratches u shallow hole with
her hind ilippcrs. and covers 1t up aiier com.
pletnG the operation. For the exercise OF this
maternal JUNCTION she selects any fine night In
the latter part Of June or early in July. and
tho eggs arc usually hntcheI about in Sep
tembcr. The newborn tetrurin number from
eight to twenty for each brood, and measure
about hall an inch in diameter. They seem to
DO AFRAID OF the water Mt first, and Will not go
in 1t for several weeks. Some breeders have
Su & en IN N h S1Tes Tn shsy are
found lively and well.
ATTEMPTS NJ prorngation have been inter.
fercd with to some oAtrnt by laws iorbidding
any. ono to hnyo teiraptn In his rosses sion
durinS the summer Regulations to tnis eject
tho writer happened TO be making some pur.
chases in a country store tina! was set on piles
nealn II. lie heard unactountab!e sounds Of
scrambling underneath the flour. and. when
rruprie or wlnked his eye aud explained that
he Kent in n place there several thousand ter.
practice OF keeping terrapin in pounds or
"craws" has given rise TO great deal OF dis
nhs d sSess
hsS snoqd I'D Gs e 1soa Tssy
That there is no saio at that seaspn P!trchas-
ing them ior To- IL. or % cents apiece in July
or August. the pounu owner, keep them until
tho winter. and dispose OF them ut the rate OF
from SO 70 s55 dozen, thus robbIng the pro.
the. crawl proprietors that the industry Of
gathering cheap, ,tterrapin in summer Gil es en-.
tion is lacking. Whatever may be the justice
Of the NE is certain That the market pa 4
tartoses t 81 are permiited t" grow to saIspie d.
mensions. They are fed with fish and crabs
ehsns Gsty sn for user se When az bs
whisilng or the claupinv of hands.
The method O. capturing torrapin by the use
cause the laying turtles are taken thus. In
summer th1 hnnte. @ inss o. ont tb over r the salt
until It comes upon he game which is picked
"torchinr." which consists in seeking the tor
toses with liShtS; II II. night when they have
used in summer. They are like cylindrical
lobster po,s. with fish lor bait. Inwinter. drag
bottom 10 rako tho animals from the mud.
Another cold-wenther process is to burn tae
rom tRs mod ths. Ssne aoussa acne by out
.5e 1 is Gas 81 sDrns nst b MnF%h they s
pose men g about in small boats Whom they
VALE s With vi an oar. and !hs 'arl les That S arc
ar1un! come to the surface to see what tho
at one end OF a long net is stuck in the mud Of
the bottom ami The other end is carried around
in n circular sweep 30 AS to nciose the game.
But the fayore method OF capturing lerrapin
in the Chesapeake is to 90 a. ont the m arshea
in winter. padding n hat bot omed boat and
pos 9 with stick into nny suspicious looking
spot in the mud. whore Mr.. Tcrrapin has lett O
small depression above hi sleeping quarters.
. In tho vicinity ri MoreheGd City. n. e.. the
big "logGerheal" tnrtl. are taken hy diving.
to avoid nlnring them with spears and so
diminishing heir m lrket value. = he fisher.
man paddles along in his boat until he sees
ono of the eat tortoiscs swimming or crawl
ing over the bottom. upon winch he Immo-
end e If the '6p sheii with ono ham and The
bi, k end with the other. turning the head of
the nnlmal inward. The turtle at once rises
very biz ono will often succe ii in making its
escape through sheer strength ana unmRn-
ngeableness. II the water ia deep the diver
steers lha turtle to shoal sroL und there
ga