53

A.—3b

hand as tight as though it were in a vice, and, diving head foremost, will take him down to the bottom of the sea. On lagoon isles turtles are never (except by some extraordinary accident) found within the reef, unless the lagoon have a wide entrance, through which the tide ebbs and flows freety. They do not like stagnant or warm water, but delight in the fresh dashing spray which breaks upon the outer reef. There also they find the long green moss upon which they delight to feed. There are times of the year, however, when they are found wandering about in the shallow water upon the top of the reef in search of small beche-de-mer, which they swallow in great quantities until they quite fill themselves. At those times, whenever the male or bull turtle is found, the female is not far away ; they are generally close together. In such case the savages declare that the turtle are bound on a cruise to some island far away, and are laying in provender for their voyage. AVhen found upon the coral shoals, it is usual to secure them by spearing them with a harpoon, not of course by attempting to pierce the shell, but by driving it into any of the orifices, generally the back of the neck. But the greater number of turtle are taken on shore, on sandy beaches, where they resort to^ay their eggs during the night. They select for this purpose solitary places, not necessarily on uninhabited isles, but always at a distance from the dwellings of men. About full moon is a favourite time with them. The female goes on shore, the male lies out beyond the breakers and watches for his mate. She lands with the high tide, and returns to the sea with the next flood; consequently, she remains on shore several hours. If overtaken by daylight before high water, she goes out on the reef and lies still there, waiting for the tide to come in. AVhile in this situation turtle are often taken by fishers, as they do not attempt to move, not even if a man should tread upon them, which has frequently happened in the grey of the dawn to men who have been out early seeking other fish. When the turtle lands to lay, she goes well up on the dry beach above high watermark, frequently under the shadow of trees, and there scratches out a great circular hollow, throwing out the sand with her flippers. As the creature turns herself round and round in the hole, it becomes smooth within, like a basin, and about so deep that the turtle sinks below the level of the surrounding sand. Then, in the middle of this pit, she digs out a small perpendicular cavity, about the depth of a man's arm, and therein deposits her eggs to the number of over 100, and, filling up the whole excavation, returns to sea. Thus, though a man may easily find the track of a turtle, it takes considerable experience to discover the eggs. It is the practice of the fishers to walk round the beach, after high tide, in places where turtle are expected to resort, on moonlight nights, about full and change, aud to look for the signs of their presence, which are easily discoverable, as the animal leaves a broad track on the sand. This they follow up until they find her either lying in a pit or on her way to or from the water. The turtle offers no resistance, but tries to make its escape into the sea, and it is surprising, from its clumsy appearance, with what rapidity it can get over the ground. The mode of capture is to turn it over on its back, and it does not seem very feasible, for the uninitiated in tho business, how a single man, running in heavy sand, can contrive to capsize an animal of 300 lbs., or even greater weight. But there is a knack extremely simple to those who are used to it. The manner of a turtle's locomotion on dry land, when interfered with or obstructed, is by wriggling with sudden jerks from side to side, making short strokes with its flippers. The fisher takes his opportunity when it is just on the cant, and tips it over on its back with ease. Much injury is frequently done to the shell by turning the animal over on stones and gravel, and leaving it there, as in its efforts to right itself it cuts and scrapes the plates. It is likewise abominable to witness the ill-treatment which these animals experience at the hands not only of savages but white fishers, before they are finally despatched, being often kept for hours on the hot sand under the broiling sun, their shells also scorched by fire off their backs while they are still alive, and then being battered about the head with clubs often for half an hour before life is extinct. They are, of course, very tenacious of life, like all the reptilia; but one would think that there can be no better way to kill them without torture than to cut off their head with a sharp axe or cleaver. Even in that case they continue to move about for some time afterwards, and I have noticed that the head, when not taken off close to the base of the skull, apparently will not die at all, at least, until decomposition has far advanced. I have never been able to understand this ; but it seemed to me to involve some strange mystery, for I have noticed the same thing in serpents, that there is a place in the neck, that if you cut below it, the head continues to live, and vice versa. Turtles tire frequently killed by being capsized in a surf, and dashed with violence upon rocks. Sometimes, also, they escape with life after sustaining great injuries. I have seen one which, at some former time, must have had its shell split completely open longitudinally, for there was the mark of a scar in that direction having the exact appearance of a seam which had been caulked. The eggs of the turtle are perfectly round, and rather smaller than a billiard ball; they are white and without shell, the covering being like parchment. They contain a yellow yoke about the size of a grape shot, floating in a water liquid. They are sufficiently wholesome as food when boiled or baked in the Maori oven, but their flavour is insipid and fishy. A turtle will often contain as many as 300 eggs, but will not usually lay more than half of them at a time. If the fisher finds the tracks of a turtle on the sand, but should not succeed in catching it—if he have been previously on the watch about the same locality—he will know whether the turtle has been lately on shore there shortly before ; if not, he will look out again for it at the same place exactly the ninth night from that time ; and if it comes not then, on the eighteenth, for if no accident have occurred to it in the meanwhile, it will assuredly return at either one of those periods, exactly at the same spot, or somewhere not more than a cable's length to leeward of it (never to windward). If it should not come back on the eighteenth night from its first appearance it will never return any more, at least until the following year. It is very remarkable how an animal of so stupid an aspect should display so marvellous an instinct in the observance of times and seasons, but it is so. They are also exceedingly cunning in the concealment of their eggs. Moreover, if they perceive a man in their neighbourhood, instead of stupidly rushing to make an immediate escape, they will lie perdu for hours, as though in hope that he might depart without perceiving them. When the young are hatched, which takes place in a month, they are about the size of a Bolivian dollar, perfectly formed, and prepared to begin life upon their own hook, which they commence by digging their way out of the sand and scuttling off into the deep sea, although many of them never reach it, in consequence of being pounced upon and B—A. 3b.