The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-12-23

fits it for use in cooking. 1t has been
employed to smear on the sides of YES
sells, which it is said to preserve from
shipworms, and to soften certain
feathers. The scales forming the shell,
though bigger than those Of the tor
toise-shell turtle, are very thin and apt
10 be wrinkled and filled with impuri-
Ties. On that account they are not used
10 any great extent in the arts.
The tortoise she'll of the Florida and
Gulf coast is found in many other parts
Of the world. 1tdoes not attain q weight
Of more than three hundred pounds.
It's diet is exclusively vegetable. but it
is much more fierce" than the carnivor-
Gus and harmless loggerhead. It bites
severely and inhicts painful wounds,
80 that fishermen have to be on their
guard against it's attacks. The scales
or plates that cover it's bony shell form
the tortoise shell of commerce. They
are arranged in three rows, the central
containing Ave plates and each of the
lateral rows four plates. In addition
the margin Of the she'll has twenty
FIVE small plates. The.colors preferred
are mingled golden yellow, reddish
jasper and white or brown. A variety
in which much white occurs is highly
esteemed, especially by the Chinese. 1t
is known as s'blonde she'll" The best
tortoise shell comes from the Indian
archipelago. The material is initiated
beautifully in cows horn, SO that only
an expert can tell the difference.
Combs made from the golden yellow
under shell of this tortoise are eagerly
sought by Spanish ladies, fetching
from fifteen to twenty dollars apiece.
Another great marine tortoise is the
green turtle, famous in soup. In size
II comes between the loggerhead and
tortoise shell, reaching weight of one
thousand pounds. 1t lives mostly in
deep water, feeding ON plants, especial
II on one called turtle grass. = This
it cuts off near the roots, to procure the
most tender and sueculent part, which
alone is eaten, while the rest of the
plant floats to the surface and is there
collected in large fields sure indica-
tion thsA the feeding ground Of the an
inals is near The latter, after brows-
ing for awhi1e in these pastures Of sea-
weed, seek the mouths of rivers to
battle IN fresh winter. which seems to
be necessary for them from time to
time. In Florida the green turtle is
said BY turtle fishers to enter. the
creeks which abound on that coast,
and, having eaten its ELL Of the sea-
grass growing there, TO roll together
masses Of it as big as mans head,
which It cen1ents with clay. Then,
when the turn Of the tide takes the
ball ont to seq, the turtle follows it,
feeding On it. u When, therefore, the
fishermen and any of these balls float
Ing down q creek, they at once spread
a strong net across the mouth and al
WAYS secure number OF the tortoises
The flesh sttached to the upper shell is
known in cookery as s'calipash, . while
that attached to the lower shell 10
called t'calipee. = ,.
There are good many families Of
edible fresh water tortoises which live
Ia rivers, ponds and marshes. Among
these are several species Of soft-shelled
turtles, which are frequently seen in
the markets. their flesh being said 10
be even superior TO the green turtle.
They are taken with hook and line,
swapping greedily at adI Ind of fish.
They feed on small snails and :
variety OF vegetable ma Most ire
quently they are seen along the nar--
gins Of sluggish and shallow streams,
wooing sweet repose in the vo1uptuous
and buxom mud bank. It is said that
some Of them do much damage in POI
tato fields situated near water courses
which they inhabit, since they are very
fond Of browsing on The stems OF the
plants. s3s5zl