Page:Natural History, Reptiles.djvu/49

Rh dissimilar to the above, but superior in spirit and boldness. Keeling Island is the scene of his graphic description. He observes,

"I accompanied Captain Fitzroy to an island at the head of the lagoon; the channel was exceedingly intricate, winding through fields of delicately branched corals. We saw several Turtles, and two boats were then employed in catching them. The method is rather curious; the water is so clear and shallow, that although at first a Turtle quickly dives out of sight, yet in a canoe or boat under sail, the pursuers after no long chase come up to it. A man standing ready in the bows at this moment dashes through the water upon the Turtle's back, then clinging with both hands by the shell of the neck, he is carried away till the animal becomes exhausted and is secured. It was quite an interesting sight to see the two boats thus doubling about, and the men dashing into the water, trying to seize their prey."

But there is a mode of fishing for these animals, said to be practised on the coasts of China and Mozambique, which is still more remarkable; living fishes being trained for the purpose of capturing the Turtles. Columbus seems to have been aware of this fact, which has since been noticed by Commerson, as cited by Middleton and Salt. The fish used is a species of Echeneis or Remora, and the following is the method used by the natives of those parts. Their little boat is provided with tubs, in which are a number of these fishes, the top of whose head is covered with an oval plate, soft and fleshy at the circumference, but furnished in the middle with an apparatus of bony pieces, very complicated in its