The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-03-31
BIG TURTLES OF THE. SEA.
Facts About Great Marine Tortolses ant
How They Are Used.

Facts About Great Marine Tortolses and
How They Are Used.
As the dealer made the remark he
took out bucket and handed to Star
reporter three or four little white
spheres. Each one was about an inch
in diameter and looked as il it was
covered with exquisitely delicate can
vas.
"Those were laid by q loggerl cad
turtle" he explained ~ have seen
trtoises OF that kind which would
wcign Hne Thousand pounds apiece.
Some ines they grow to one thousand
fivo hundre or one thousand six hun
dred pc nds, understand. Sea turtles
get to be monsters There is kind
called the 'leather-back,' which is big
ger than the loggernead, but they are
very rare. However, they aren't good
for mucn, only their oil being good for
lubrlcator.
"You take one thousand pound log
gerhead aud he will measure seven or
eight feet in length and nine across the
back, Including the flippers. He is a
very fast and strong swimmer, so that
you must catch him asleep on the
water II you expect to bag him. Speci-
mems are often seen many miles from
land, floating on the wave. Unlike the
other great sea turtles, which prefer
vcgetab diet the log serhead is car
niverous. 1t has very p 5werful jaws,
and with them it easily cracks the
shells OF large conches, eating the
meat. The young ones are said to be
pretty good in a stew or soup, but those
which are full growa are leathery and
mnsky in flavor. .oume times the oil
from the fat is smeared on the sides Of
vessels to keep worms from eati & the
/, wood.
I'm the spring the female loggerhead
comes ashore and scoops out pit with
her hind legs in the sand on the south
side OF the .shoal. Then she lays fren.
one hundred and fifty to two hundred
eggs in the hole and covers them up
again with the sand, leaving them to
be Matched by the heat OF the sun
Bears are ever so found Of
turtle eggs of all sorts, and
they dig up the nests wherever they
can find them, gobbling amazing
/ VI hovO ANVIL 40 many do
thirteen nests to be robbed by single
bear in one night. AS soon as they. are
Matched the young ones scuttle into the
water. Crabs. fishes and shellfish of all
sorts contribute to the diet of these
i tortoises.
Turtle eggs are an acquired taste
with m ,st people, although they are
not so with bears They have round,
yellow york and white like any other
eggs. but you can cook them for a
year and the white part will remain
| liquid. We sell them mostly to colored
folks Notice the curious dimple in the
side of each one. II you squeeze it out
the sdimple appears GA the other side,
and you caa never get hold of tur-
ties egg W ieh hasn't got dimple in.
Most OF the green turtles that reach
the northern market come from south
ern Fiorids, but therei is aaother species
on the Pacific coast They grow. big
| ger as you go farther s,uth. In this
latitude they aren't often found larger
than eight pounds. but at Cedar Keyq
| the reach q tho ,sand pounds in weight.
They live in deep water AID feed on
sea plants, mostly the kind called .tar.
tie grass, which they cut of near the
roots. eating the lower parts and leav-