Teaching. Parliament to Catch Turtle.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 250, 25 August 1874, Page 7

Teaching. Parliament to Catch Turtle.

Large portions of the Polynesian Papers presented to Parliament by Mr Vogel yead like parts of tales of travel' and adventure, sand are most interesting outside the object "with which they were presented. Take for instance the following description of turtle 'catching at the Gallapagos islands :— ; There are several ways of catching turtle, hilt the most usual is to watch for them at night. When they are taken, during the <day,. it is generally by surprising them while they are asleep on the surface of the water. On those occasions the practice is, so soon as the'turtle is discovered, foy several persons •go out to him in a, canoe, ami paddle silently alongside, when they seize him and lift him 'on board before he knows what is going bn. They are quite harmless, except in the mere matter' of floundering and striking out with thqir flippers, with which they can deliver a severe blow. It is very rare for them to attempt to bite, When a turtle is found sleeping, and he be of great size, , and but few men to seize him, it is usual to harpoon him. During the breeding season these creatures are very careless of their safety ; they are found in congeries, and, under certain circumstances, exhibit no sense x of danger, or ■desire to escape from the presence of man. When several turtles are in’ this state, a like Humber of men, having approached them in a canoe, will jump overboard and lay hold of them thus : the man gets on the back of the turtle, and takes hold with his hands of the front -of the shell, just behind the neck. This prevents him from “ sounding,” that is to say, going down head foremost, as a turtle will always do when alarmed, if not prevented, as in this case he is effectually by the weight of the man on his back. Ho is tints quite helpless, for he has no idea of getting rid of his rider, except by diving head first, and ■allows himself to be steered in any direction his captors may choose. Thus he is brought up alongside the canoe, and hoisted into it without resistance. But in playing this little game, which seems so simple, there are several things which it is necessary to know. One . of them is, that a turtle in the water can cut a naked man very dangerously with his flippers ; another thing to be avoided is to catch the turtle by the tail. God help tho man that knows no better than iq.do so, for the reptile.in that case will instantly shut his body, whereby he will hold the man’s hand as tigfit as though it were in a vice, and, diving, head. fore nuts t, will take him down to the bottohVof the Sea.-' - - ..