Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

 

Methods Used by the Fishermen of the Tropics.

     Turtles are always captured at night and usually on moonlight ones. This is the time they go on the shore to lay their eggs. They select a smooth, sandy beach, dig holes in the sand, deposit their eggs there and leave them to be hatched by the heat of the sand. When the turtles are on shore for this purpose hunters come upon them, and they are easily overtaken, for turtles are slow movers. The hunters have not a strenuous undertaking. All that is necessary to be done is to turn the turtles on their backs and leave them until the next day, when they are removed.

     Another more curious way of catching turtles is by fishing by the remora, a fish found in the tropical waters. The popular name of this fish and the one by which the children of those countries call them is the sucking fish. This name is given to them on account of a disk on their heads, by which they can attach themselves to any smooth surface, like the side of a shark, a ship or the shell of a turtle. This disk is like the soft leather “suckers” that are popular with schooboys. When this fish has attached himself to anything you can pull him to pieces rather than force him to release his hold.

     Turtle hunters go in boats and carry several of these remoras in tubs. When they see a turtle and get near him the sucker is sent after him. He is held by a ring on his tail, which in turn is attached by a stout cord. Soon the fish is securely fastened to the shell of the turtle, and turtle and fish are hauled into the boat together. Once in the air the remora loosens his hold and is dropped back into the tub to rest until another turtle is sighted.-Washington Star.