dies; in the Indian Ocean, the Isle of France, Madagascar, Rodriguez, and the Seychelles; in the Pacific, the Galapagos, and the Sandwich Isles, are noted resorts of Turtle.
The reason of some shores being more frequented by Turtles than others, is their suitability for breeding-places. To reach the destined spot for the deposition of the eggs, "the females have often to traverse the sea for more than fifty leagues, and the males accompany them to the sandy beaches of those desert islands selected for the places of nidification. Arrived at the end of their voyage, they timidly come forth from the sea after sunset; and, as it is necessary to leave the eggs above high-water mark, they have often to drag themselves to a considerable distance before they can hollow out their nests (about two feet in diameter) during the night, and there lay at one sitting to the number of one hundred eggs. This laying is repeated thrice, at intervals of two or three weeks. The eggs vary in size, but are spherical, like tennis-balls; and when they are laid, their investing membrane is slightly flexible, although covered with a delicate calcareous layer. After slightly covering the nest with light sand, the parent returns to the sea, leaving the eggs to the fostering influence of a tropical sun. The eggs are said to be hatched from the fifteenth to the twenty-ninth day; and when the young Turtles come out, their shells are not yet formed, and they are white as if blanched. They instinctively make for the sea; but on their road, and as they pause before entering the water, the birds of prey that have been watching for the moment of their ap-
