________________
304
“At night the fishers conceal themselves along the shore as well as possible, and when the turtles come up=out of the water on he beach they rush forth and turn them over on their backs with iron hooks, leaving them secure in this position until morn. ing. It is the method by which the scales are loosened which is the repulsive part of the business. The turtles are not killed, as that would lead to extermination in a very few years. After capturing them the fishers wait for day-light to complete the work. The turtles are turned over again in their natural posi. tion and fastened firmly to the ground by means of pegs; then a bunch of dried leaves or sea-grass is spread ovenly over the back of the turtle and set afire. The heat is not great enough to injure the shell, merely causing it to separate at the joints. A Jarge blade, very similar in shape to a chemist's spatula, is then inserted horizontally between the laminæ, which are gently pried from the back. Great care must be taken not to injure the shell by too much heat, and yet it it not forced off until it is fully prepared for separation by a sufficient amount of warmth. The operation, as one may readily imagine, is the extreme of cruelty, and many turtles do not survive it. Most of them do live, however, and thrive, and in time grow a new covering, just as a man will grow a new finger nail in place of one he may lose.
અર્થ–“રાતે માછીમારે કીનારા ઉપર જેમ બને તેમ છુપાઈ રહે છે અને જ્યારે કાચબાઓ પાણીની બહાર નીકળીને જમીન ઉપર આવે છે ત્યારે તે માછીમારે દોડી જઇને લોઢાના આંકડા વતી તેમને ચત્તા કરી નાખે છે, અને સવાર સુધી તેમને એજ સ્થીતીમાં રાખે છે. જે ક્રિયાથી એ કાચબાની ઢાલ ઉતારવામાં આવે છે તે ત્રાસ દાયક છે. કાચબાને મારી
