Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1898-05-13
A CRUEL OPERATION.
The PROCESS BY WHICH TORTOISE
SHELL IS PROCURED.

lives - a business That
etruck an Observer as Heartless.
There are many articles of daily and
nourly use constantly passing before
our eyes and through our hands about
the production of which we know com.
paratlyely little or nothing. An inter-
estlng example of this is tortoise shell.
from which combs and hairpins are
made, besides multitude of trinkets
Tor the dressing table, the desk and
the pocket. Fierce crusades have been
instituted in recent years against the
slaughter CT birds FOR the procurement
OF their plumage for hat trimmings.
ana yet venture to say that the proc
sss 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
III Bluefields, on that awful MOSQUITO
coast, and at the invitation of one
Manuel Latona, who was the owner and
captain of small schooner, went with
him to the cay Eel Roncador for tortoise
shell. This cay gets its name (Which in
English would be the Snorer) from the
exceedingly angry surf, which can be
heard for long distance breaking over
the reefs. This is the cay on which a
couple Of years back the historic old
ship Hearsarge was wrecked and bat
tered to pieces. Ell Roncador is nothing
more or less than typical coral is
land, 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 a reef, inside
OF which the water is smooth and rath-
er shallow, and at the bottom of this
shallow water there grows a peculiar
kind OF sea grass which is a dainty
food for the turtle tribes. There is also
found on the top of the water inside the
reef sort of small blubber fish, called
in Spanish dedalcs, 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 to FL Roncador to
spawn, but they are not molested Dur
ing the night the turtles crawl up on
che shore to lay their eggs, each female
depositing on an average about 70. To
dc this they dig holes ia the sand about
two feet deep and after laying the eggs
cover them over 80 deity that it is al.
most impossible for a novice to find
them. These eggs are really delicious
when roasted, but the turtle fishers are
careful not to destroy those they do not
take for food, SO as to promote as much
as possible the increase of this valuable
sea reptile. At night the fishers conceal
themselves along the shore as well as
possible, and when the turtles 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 III
this position until morning.
The tortoise shell Of commerce is not,
as is generally believed, the horny cover
ing or shell proper Of the turtle; it is
the scales which cover the shield. These
scales are 10 III number, of them be-
ing fiat and the other somewhat curved.
Four of those that are fiat are quite
Narge, sometimes being as much as IL
inches long and Z inches broad, nearly
transparent and beautifully variegated
in color with red, yellow, white and
dark brown clouds, which give the eff
fects SO fully brought out when the shell
is properly polished. A turtle of aver
,5el1 oh aiC OH
of these ltmin@, or scales, each piece
being from an eighth to quarter of an
inch in thickness.
1t is the method by which these scales
are loosened which is the repulsive part
of the business. The turtles are not
killed, as that would leao to their ex-
termination in 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 6y means of pegs. Then a bunch
of dried leaves or sea grass IS spread
.yenly over the back Of the turtle and
set afire. The heat is ho$ great enough
to injure the shell, merely causing 1t to
separate the joints. A large blade, very
similar in shape to a chemists spatula
is then inserted horizontally between
the lamine, which are gently pried
from the back. Great care must be TAX
en- not to injure the shell by too much
heat, and yet it is not forced off until it
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, and
in time grow new covering, just as
a man will grow new finger nail In
place of one he might lose. The pecul-