from one hundred and fifty to two hundred eggs; cover them up, leave them to the sun to hatch, and then waddle again towards the sea. Two stout hands are, meanwhile, on the look out, watching the movements of the unfortunate Turtle; and running up to her after the completion of her task, one seizes a fore-flipper, and dexterously shoves it under her belly, to serve as a purchase, whilst the other, avoiding a stroke which might lame him, casts the Turtle over on her back, where she lies helpless. From fifteen to thirty are thus turned in a night; and six hundred had been so captured in the season of 1834. In the bays, where the surf, or heavy rollers, prevent the boats being beached to take on board the Turtle when caught, they are hauled out to them by ropes.
"No ships' crews are now allowed to turn Turtle, which is converted into a government monopoly; and two pounds ten shillings is the price for each. Strange to say, from the time that the young Turtle, the size of a dollar, are observed scuttling down to the water, they are never seen again here until they are four or five hundred pounds weight; and how long they take to attain this great size, and where they spend the intermediate time, is as yet a mystery. I was surprised to hear that Turtle are kept in the ponds for a year and upwards, without a morsel of food of any kind. They sometimes deposit their eggs in the sand, on the sides of the ponds; and in due time the little animals are allowed to make their escape to the sea. One old female, called 'Nelson,' because one of her flippers had been carried off by a shark, was kept, out of respect,
