The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-10-09
THE BIG SEA TURTLE
HOW TT is CAUGHT BY GEORGIA COAST
FISHERMEN.

HOW TT is CAUGHT BY GEORGIA COAST
FISHERMEN.
The Hunt L. Always Made at Night
and the Ungainly Creatures Are
Brought to Grief Through the Use
of Trick and Device.
One Of the favorite summer sports Of
the fishermen and marooners of Savan-
nah Is turtle hunting on the sandy
beaches of the neighboring islands.
where from May to August the turtles
come out to lay their eggs
On the long, fat stretches of sand the
turtle crawls about 100 feet or more
from the water line, and there, with
her flippers scooping out a round hole
from two to three feet deep, deposits
her eggs, often 300 or more, covering
every so or SO with a thin layer Of
sand, and putting final layer Of con-
siderable thickness over the top of the
nest after her maternal duties are fin
ished. This final filling In of the nest
she smooths off even with the beach
and after making the surroundings as
nearly as possible like the remainder
of the beach, If undisturbed, crawls
back. to the water with the pleasing
consciousness of duty well performed
and the confident conviction that In q
short time her maternal heart will be
gladdened with numerous progeny.
Even when she escapes with her life.
however, her hopes Of family are Of
ten disappointed, for turtle eggs are
conceded to be q delicacy by nearly
| everybody who has tried them, and 1t
| is this toothsomeness Of her product
that leads to the undoing Of the turtles
| hopes, for during the season Of her lay
| ing the nests are sought for continu-
| ously and many of them found and
robbed of their contents. The method
Of search is very simple. Where the
tracks of the turtle are found leading
I'D the beach they are followed, and
the ground at various points along the
! trail is tested by means Of a slender
rod or walking cane. The nest Is dis
tinguished when reached by the ready
yielding of the sand, and the hunters
scoop out the sand with their hands
and appropriate the eggs.
But 1t is In securing the turtle herself
| that the hunter finds the greatest
pleasure. The hunt Is almost always
made at night and preferably during
moonlight The conditions are best
about the middle Of May, during full
moon, and In the early morning hours
Then skirting the water line the hunt
ers walk along the beach, keeping
sharp lookout for tracks as they pass
along and still sharper lookout ahead
| for the creature itself. On a clear
night the great slumbering animal can
be distinguished long way off. When
one is sighted, the hunters determine
their further proceedings in accordance
with the position of the creature with
respect to the nearness Of the water
line and it's evident intentions. If on
| its way to make a nest which Is
known by its crawling up the sand
and away from the water, there is no
particular need to hurry, as, unless
disturbed, the turtle will not return to
the water until she has deposited her
eggs. So usually the hunters are con-
tent to wait safe distance away until
the nest has been completed and the
actual laying of the eggs begun. Then
they may approach with impunity, for
the turtle, once on the nest, will not
move until she has completed her task.
1t is when she commences her retreat
| to the water that the hunters secure
her by catching the side of the shell
where she lies helpless and can only
fan her mighty and powerful f1ippers
In wrathy impotence.
The turtle is firm believer that dis
erection is the better part of valor, and
she shows fight only when cornered
and has no way of escape. Should she
| catch sight of her natural enemy, man,
before she has begun to lay, she will
at once beat a hasty retreat toward
the water, scaling the hard beach and
throwing back quantities of sand in
| her haste. But when she is brought
to bay she will both bite and strike
heavy blows with her fippers, and
these must be carefully avoided while
! she is being turned on her back.
| 1t is owing to her efforts to injure
| her enemies that her final undoing Is
accomplished, for, like most Of the
/ family testudinata, the turtle can draw
! it's head into the shell and close its
f1ippers close to its sides, making itself
practically impervious to attacks. This
| its captor knows, and SO when ready
| to slaughter it he pokes its head with
stick until, to stop the annoyance,
the animal extends its head, when it is
cut off by a we'll directed blow with
Ratchet or ak.
Some persons claim that there can be
| found In the turtle portions that taste
| like and resemble in appearance chick
en- meat, veal and beefsteak, but the
average marooner finds In the turtle
only turtle, which both In texture and
taste closely resembles beefsteak.
Turtles are still quite numerous on
| Warsaw, though not nearly SO plenti-
full as they were several years ago,
when as many as nine have been turn
ed in one night. They average in size
from the comparatively small one Of
100 pounds to 500 pounds and in ex-
leptional cases 6OO.-Savannah News.
l ~