The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-01-19
EDIBLE REPTILES.
Turtles Which Contribute to the
Worlds Food Supply.
Monster Chelonians That Frequent the
Ocean Depths and Fresh Water Tor
toises Which Are Highly Valued
in the Markets.

Fortv-two species of tortoises in
habit the United States and adjacent
seas. They furnish nearly all OF the
reptilian food supply of this country,
which is of great aggregate quantity.
and represents value Of hundreds OF
thousands of dollars annually. Among
them. saws the ST. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat, are several gigantic kinds which
live in the ocean, and are remarkable
in many ways. These marine turtlcf
are specially adapted to an aquatiS
mode of existence. Their bodies have
a specific gravity almost exactly equal
to that of the water in which they are
immersed, so that they are able to sus-
tain themselves at the surface for any
length of time without fatigue. They
never go ashore except TO lay eggs
Their hind feet are used as rudder3.
while the fore feet, with which they
propel themselves. have motion sim
liar to that of birds wings. In fact,
all their movements are more those OF
lving than OF swimming.
These giant turtles are found all
along the Atlantic coast, though it is
only in southern waters that they Oc-
cur in great numbers. One Of the
most powerful of them IS the logger
head, which attains a weight Of six
teen hundred pounds. 1t is a rapid
swimmer and is often seen far from
land. floating on the waves asleep
Carnivorous by nature, it feeds on crabs
and fishes. and especially on q large
species of conch, which it breaks with
its enormous jaws and dcvours IL large
quantities. The flesh of this tortoise
is leathcry and oily, with a strong
smell Of musk. In the West Indies
formerly it was given to the slaves for
food Young specimens. however. ara
tolerably palatable. and are frequent
sold in the markets. A considerable
amount of Oil may be obtained from
the lorgerhead. bat its rank odor IN
fits it for use in cooking. It has been
employed to smear on the sides OF vc1-
sols. which it is said to preserve from
S -iprTorms, and to soften certain
feathers. The scales forming the she'll.
though birycr than those OF the tor.
toiScshcll turtle. are very thin and ap,
to be wrin!;lcl and filed with irnpuri-
ties. On that account they are not used
to any great extent in the arts.
The tortoicc she'll OF the Florida and
Gulf coast is found in many other parts
of the world. ItdOcs n0t attain u weight
Of more than three hundred pounds:
It's dict is exclusively vegetable. bat i
is much more fierce than the carnivor-
Gus and harmless lOGgcrhcad. It bites
severely and il1liots painful wounds,
SO that ilGhcrrcn have to be on their
guard against its attacks. The scales
or plates that cover its bony shell form
the tortoise she'll Of commerce They
are arranged il three rows, the central
containing five plates and each of the
lateral rows four plates. In addition
the margin OF the shell 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 ''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
it comes between the loggerbead and
tortoise-shell, reaching a weight Of one
thousand pounds. 1t lives mostly il
deep water. feeding on plants, especial
ly on one called turtle grass This
it cuts Off near the roots, to procure the
most tender and succulcnt part. which
alone is eaten, while the rest Of the
plant floats to the surface and is there
collected in large fclds-a sure indica-
tlon that the feeding ground Of the an
imals is near. The latter, after br0w3-
ing for awhile in these PASTURES of sen
weed, seek ohc mouths Of rivers to
battle in fresh water. which seems n
be necessary for them from time 70
time. In Florida the green turtle i
said by turtle fishers to enter IT,.
creeks which abound on that coast
and, having eaten its fill Of the sra.
grass growing there, to roll t0mctho,.
masses Of it as big as a mans head
which it ccrnents with clay. Then,
when the turn Of the tide takes 4, ,
ball out to sea, the turtle follow, +.
feeding on it. When, therefore. tn,
fishermen find any of those ball feat
4
ing down creek, thcy at o.lon ar,,. cd
strong net across the. mouth all nj
ways secure q number of the tor5o: IS.
Inc 1lesh attached to the upper :sln.l is
known III cookery as ''calipash.n white
that attached TO the lower she'll is
called ''calipee."
nhere are good many families of
edl ole fresh water tortoises which ly,
IN rivers, ponds and marshes. Ap7onn
these are several species Of soft-s,,o1l ID
turtles, which are Frequently seen IN
the markets. their flesh beipr sail -
pe even superior to the green turtle.
1hey are taken with hook and limo.
swapping greedily at any kind OF & il.
Ahey iced on small fishes, snails AMI a
variety OF vegetable matter. Most fire.
quehtly they are seen along t;le mar
gins OF sluggish and shallow streams.
"oolng sweet repose in the voluot,,ous
and buXom mud-banlz. 1t is SAID that
some OF them do much damage in DO.
cato held5 situated near water courses
whlch they inhabit, since they are very
iona OF browsing on the stems of the
plants.
The Angora Cat.
Inc Angora cat is peculiar. When
It's fur is entirely white the animal is
invariably blind, but when there is
even the slightest tinge of color the