Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-03-02
A CRUEL OPERATION.
THE PROCESS BY WHICH TORTOISE
SHELL IS PROCURED.
Fires Set on tie Living Turtle to seps-
rate the Bory Layers Of the House In
which He Lives A Business That

| which He Lives A Business That
Struck an Observer as Heartless.
! 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
parntively little or nothing. An inter
esting example OF this is tortoise shell,
from which combs and hairpins arc
made, besides a multitude Of trinkets
for the dressing table, the desk and
! the pocket. Fierce cruEades 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 proc
ess of procuring tortoise shell is a cru
city to animal life which far exceeds
that to which birds are subjected.
In the eighties happened TO be down
i'll Bluefields, on that awful Mosquito
coast, ard at the invitation of one
Manuel Latona, who was the owner and
captain of small schooner, went with
him to the cay Ell Roncador for tortoise
shell. This cay gets its name (Which in
English would be TIE Snorer) from the
exceedingly angry surf, which can be
heard for a lcng distance breaking over
the reefs. This is the cay on which g
couple of years back the historic old
ship KearsarSe was wrecked and bat
tered to pieces. FL Roncador is nothing
more or less than a typical coral is
land, such as is found throughout the
southern seas, three-quartcrs OF mile
long, perhaps. ard not more than Q
quarter OF 4 mile across its widest part.
Surrounding the island is q reef, inside
OF which the water is smooth and rath-
er shallow, ard at the bottom of this
shallow water there grows a 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 a sort CT slcGll blubber fs., called
III Spanish Ge6alc=, or thimble fish,
which is perhaps the greatest delicacy
Of the entire turtle menu.
The turtle whose shell is valued in
commerce is a small species known as
the hawk bill. There are other varie
ties which come 10 FL RoncGGor to
spaWI, but they are ret niOlested. Dur
ing the night tie turtles crawl mp on
the shore to lay their oGgs. each female
depCsiiirG on al average about 20. To
do this they dig holes IL the sand about
two feet deep and after laying tie eggs
cover them ever SC deity that IL is al
most impossible Tor a novice to ind
them. These eggs are really delicious
when roasted, but tie turtle fishers are
careful not 10 destroy those they do not
take fer food, so as TO promote as much
l. FL, 81, 10
sea reptile. at night the fishers conceal
themselves alorc the shore as well CO
possible, Grd when tbs turtles Gtiua pp
out of the watCr Cn the beach they rush
forth and turn them over on their backs
with iron hooks leaving them secure il
this position until morning.
The tortoise shell of commerce is not,
as Is generally believed, the horny cover
/. ing or shell proper CT the turtle; it is
the scales which cover the shield. These
scales are Is III number, 8 of them be-
ing flat and the other somewhat curved.
Four OF those that are fiat are quite
large, sometimes being as much rs l2
inches long and ! inches bread, nearly
| transparent and beautifully variegated
IN color with red, yellow, white and
dark brown clouds, which give the ef-
! fects so fully brought cut when the shell
is properly polished. Il turtle of aver
age size will furnish about eight pounds
of these lamirse, or scales, each piece
/ Icing from an eighth TO quarter OF an
| inch in thickness.
/ 1t is the method by which these scales
are lcosened which is the repulsive part
Of :he business. The turtles are not
, killed. as that would lead TO their ex-
! termination il very few years After
capturing them the fishers wait for day
| light 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 spree;Si.
evenly over the back Of the turtle and
: set afre The hcct IS lot great enough
! 10 i1iure iie she'll, merely causing it to
separate the joints. i large blade, very
similar IN shape to chemists spatula,
/ is then inserted horizontally between
! the lamiEee which are gently pried
! from the back Great care must tie TAX
/ en- not to iniure the she'll By tco much
| hest, and get it is not forced off until it
J Is fully prepared for separation by
! sufficient amount of warmth.
( The operation, as one may readily
! imagine, is the extreme of cruelty, and
many turtles do not survive it. Most of
| them do live, however, and thrive ard
| in time grow a new covering, just as
q nan viii grow new finger nail in
| place Of one lie might lose. The pccul-
iarity Of the second growth Of shell,
though, is that instead Of reproducing
the original number of - segments it is
restored in one solid piece.
To see the operation of taking the
, she'll from the living turtle once is
about all q man Of northern breeding
wants of it, and if the helpless reptiles
had the power of voicing their suffer
irgs under it their cries would tell Of
as heaItless 4 business as man has yet
| engaged in.-New York Pest.
Impossible In His Case.