The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-10-21
A CRUEL BUSINE
PROCURING ToRToIsE-sHELL.
How The Turtles are Caught.

How The Turtles are Caught.
Evening Post.
There are many articles of daily and
hourly use, constantly passing before
our eyes and through our hands, about
the production of which we know COM
paratively little or nothing. An inter-
esting example of this is tortoise shell,
from which combs and hair pins are
made, besides a multitude of trlnkets
for the dressing table, the desk, and
the pocket. Fierce crusades have been
instituted in recent years against the
slaughter of birds for the procurement
of their plumage for hat trimmings,
and yet venture to say that the pro-
cess OF procuring tortoise shell is cru
city to animal life, which far exceeds
that to which birds are subjected.
In the eighties I happened to be
down in Blueields, on that awful Mos
quito Coast, and at the invitation OF
one Manuel Latona, who was the own
er and captain of small schooner,
went with him to the cay Ell Ronca-
dor for tortoise shell. This cay gets
its name (Which in England would be
The Snorer) from the exceedingly an
cry surf, which can be heard for long
distance breaking over tho reefs. This
is the cay on which, a couple OF years
back, the historic old ship Constitution
was wrecked and battered to pieces.
Ell Roncador is nothing more nor less
than typical coral island, such as Is
found throughout the Southern seas,
three quarters of mile long, perhaps,
and not more than a quarter of mile
across its widest part. Surrounding
the island is reef, inside of which the
water is smooth and rather shallow !;
and at the bottom OF this shallow wa
ter there grows peculiar kind OF sea-
grass which Is dainty food for the
turtle tribes. There is also found on
the top OF the water inside the reef 4
sort of small blubber fish, called in
Spanish dedales, or thimble fish, which
is perhaps the greatest delicacy of the
f,,-&1o ~ooo,,
The turtle whose shell Is valued in
commerce is small species
known as the hawks bill.
There are other varieties which come
to Ell Roncador to spawn, but they are
not molested. During the night the
turtles crawl up on the shore to lay
their eggs, each female depositing on
an average about seventy. To do this
they dig holes in the sand about two
feet deep, and after laying the eggs COW
er them over SO deity that it is almost
impossible for a novice to find them.
These eggs are really delicious when
roasted, but the turtle-6shers are care
full not to destroy those they do not
take for food, so as to promote as much
as possible the increase of this valua-
BILE sea reptile. At night the fishers
conceal themselves along the shore
as we'll as possible, and when the tur-
ties come up out of the water on the
beach they rush forth and turn them
over on their backs with iron hooks
leaving them secure in this position
until morning.
The tortoise shell of commerce Is
not, as generally believed, the horny
covering or shelf proper of the turtle /,
it Is The scales which cover the shield.
These scales are thirteen in number.
eight of them being flat and the other
five somewhat curved. Four OF those
that are flat are quite large, sometimes
being as much as twelve Inches long
and seven inches broad, nearly trans
parent, and beautifully variegated in
color with red, yellow, white, and dark
brown clouds, which give the effects
SO fully brought out when the shell
is properly polished. A turtle of aver
age size will furnish about eight
pounds OF these lamaniae, or scales,
each piece being from an eighth to a
quarter of an inch in thickness.
It is the method by which these
scales are loosened which is the repul-
sive part of the business. The turtles
are not killed, as that would lead to
their determination in a very few years.
After capturing them the fishers wait
for daylight to complete the work.
The turtles are turned over again in
their natural position and fastened
firmly to the ground by means of pegs
then bunch of dried leaves or sea-
grass Is spread evenly on the back of
the turtle and set afire. The heat is not
great enough to lnjure the shell, mere
~ causing it to separate at the joints.
A large blade-very similar in shape
- c~oox,,t. :.