rowed to a width of about three hundred yards, skirted on the east and towards the south by rude and variously shaped sandy hillocks, between which at intervals could be seen the busy murmuring waters of the Gulf of Mexico; on the right or western side was a low flat, now almost bare, covered with innumerable flocks of pelicans, ducks, geese, and also swans; across this could be traced the dim outline of the bluff on which Live Oak was situate. The narrow strip of fine sand which stretched from the scanty mark of vegetation to the water's edge on our left was thickly strewed with turtle varying from ten to two hundred pounds in weight, and, as we afterwards discovered, one of them reached to the extraordinary degree of obesity which four hundred and sixty pounds of flesh and shell most satisfactorily explains. The most ponderous were collected round the extreme point of the bay, where it narrowed off into a deep gut, some twenty yards across. Despite, however, the really enormous size to which some of them had attained, they scarcely justified the extravagant tales recounted concerning them; for if we believe the assertions of certain old travellers, in some districts bordering on Ethiopia, the Chelonophages, or turtle eaters, a tribe which late researches have failed to identify, use the shells in guise of canoes and tents; while in the Indian Ocean are said to be many of these animals so large, that the shell of one, fitted out as a boat, would bear up twelve or fourteen men. On my return to Galveston, I saw the son of our captain paddling about in the shell of the largest turtle we captured, and certain I am, I would not have ventured myself alone therein, much less in company with any one else.

Be these stories, however, true or not, I return to our chase. Certain of the gentlemen were beginning, under the cheering influence of the sun's rays, to regain their locomotive powers, while at the same time we noticed that some few had been already victimized by the ravenous turkey-buzzards and caiotoe-a species of wolf, which, taking advantage of their unfortunate position, had treated them as if in reality dead. The shore being gained, we separated in all directions, and seizing the poor tame unresisting animals by their flippers, turned them unceremoniously on their backs, in which elegant posture all hope of escape was taken from them. Doubtless if such a beast could make reflections (which is doubtful, seeing it is said he can live as well without as with brains), he would consider his position far from pleasant, with the prospect of being made into soup before him; but I did not find that "when thus thrown upon their backs, they heaved profound sighs and shed abundance of tears;" certainly they do puff and blow at a most extraordinary rate, but that they weep and sigh I could never discover.

In less than an hour we had carried aboard our schooner sixtyfour large turtle, while Captain Wyhant, of the Shamrock, had obtained even a larger supply; some of which, however, were placed in ponds on St. Joseph's island for our use upon some future occasion, while we carried the greater portion of our stock to Galveston, whence many of them were afterwards despatched to New Orleans.

Let me not forget to remark that we did not succeed in capturing all as easily as the greater number were taken, for we had to follow

several of the larger ones into the water, particularly one very fine one, which, alarmed at my approach, had succeeded in gaining his natural element, where I followed him and drove him once more ashore with a stick. It must not, moreover, be imagined that the turtle allow themselves on all occasions to be made spoil of in this cool and collected manner; far from it-it being merely the accident of a heavy norther, which rarely occurs, that had procured us this peculiar piece of good luck.

The inhabitants of Texas fish for them with strong nets with great success, but the mode practised by the Caronquahai Indians is far more interesting. They select for the purpose a fine moonlight night, when the wind is hushed to rest, and the water almost smooth, and taking a moderate-sized canoe, three persons place themselves therein the fisherman, the Indian (often a girl) who paddles, and a third party, which I have more than once been myself; the steersman by the constant and rapid use of his paddle, propels the canoe much more swiftly and with far less noise than is the case when a boat is pulled by oars. The fisherman stands up in the bows, and whenever he perceives a turtle rising to the water's edge, or hears him rippling the face of the tiny waves, without speaking, motions to the helmsman with the handle of his lance to proceed towards the spot he is desirous of reaching; when within a proper distance, the hunter takes careful aim, and then darts his harpoon with such unerring force as rarely to miss striking the animal between the shell and the flesh; the turtle then darts to the bottom, and it then becomes the province of the third person to pay out, under the fisher's directions, as much line as is required to give free scope to the animal's movements, by which and the rapid effusion of blood, being soon weakened, his capture is effected. I can assure my readers I wish for no better sport. In many instances, when they come by chance on a fine turtle sleeping during the heat of the day upon the face of the water, the Indian without more ado will leap into the sea, dive down and come up alongside the drowsy animal, catch firmly hold of his tail, or rather the portion of the shell above the tail, and lean heavily upon the turtle's back; the animal waking, and ignorant of what presses upon him, begins to move his hind legs, which motion usually suffices to hold up both man and beast until assistance is rendered. Having in either manner made a prize, to sit down, cook, and eat a turtle, with an Indian is infinitely preferable to eating it in any other manner. The animal being hung up for all the blood to escape, the upper shell is separated from the flesh, and made use of for a pot wherein to cook. The turtle, being cleansed from all extraneous matter, is washed, then seasoned with salt, wild lemon juice, red peppers, which grow wild in all parts of Texas, and when we were in sufficient luck, with cloves-on other occasions I have eaten it with the coarse cinnamon of the backwoods as its only adjunct-the whole was then set over the burning coals, and speedily transmogrified into a most excellent meal; but, on the present occasion, at the fag end of a cruize, condiments all used up, and a raw Herefordshire lad translated to the wilds of Texas as our cook, we had turtle steaks for breakfast, turtle steaks for lunch, turtle soup for dinner, toujours perdrix

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TURTLE-HUNTING IN TEXAS AND THE GREAT CAYMAN.

in fact, until it became nauseous, and long before we reached Galves ton, I was completely disgusted with Signior tartaruga, as our Mexican friends called it.

Mr. Simon Jones under the Custom-house commissioner or rather inspector, under whose orders the two schooners were, and who has made the natural history of Texas his peculiar study, remarked to me when we returned to the vessel, that the turtle found its chief subsistence and nourishment in the extraordinary species of sub-marine prairies, which abound in the bays and inlets of the Texian sea-coast; he declared that often when sailing over a flat during fine weather, and where the water was transparent and clear, he had beheld the bottom thus carpeted with green, and the turtle taking their ease under the water, often near the mouth of rivers. The number of eggs which are annually found near all their numerous resorts is enormous, affording a ready and delicious meal to the inhabitants of these wild districts, who but for these and similar other spontaneous gifts of Na ture, would often through their own improvidence be reduced to starvation. Another advantage peculiarly felt in a new country like Texas, is the abundant supply of oil which can be manufactured from their fat, and which fresh is used as for cookery, when old for lamps.

In the island called Great Cayman, between Jamaica and Cuba, much sport may be seen during the turtle-catching season, as well as myriads of eggs be found. The beach, which is composed of soft sand, is so flat and level, that when I first approached the island, I could see only the houses upon it, rising as it were out of the water, and is therefore peculiarly agreeable to the turtle, which are supposed in consequence to come from a great distance to lay their eggs in this place; they dig holes of various depths with their paws, or flippers as the hunters call them, a little above the level of the water, in which they deposit their charge, leaving it to be hatched by the sun; these holes are sought for with great eagerness by the egg-hunters, and the eggs devoured with much gusto. In the Great Cayman, the turtlehunting season commences usually in April and terminates in September; towards night men station themselves along the beach, some considerable distance from one another, and watch for the turtles as they come out of the water and walk slowly along the sand: the hunter immediately advances, and with infinite dexterity turns the animal over, though when he has a large one to deal with, it is not sometimes done without considerable difficulty, the turtle struggling and scattering the sand around with great vigour and fierceness. In about a couple of hours, each man usually succeeds in entrapping about forty or fifty of them, from a hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds in weight. Formerly the trade in salt turtle-flesh was great from this place, it being used to feed the slaves in the other islands of the West Indies, and the fishery was considered of almost as much importance there as the cod fishery is in Newfoundland--but of late years it has fallen off.

ON TRAINING THE RACE-HORSE.

BY COTHERSTONE.

There is not a more anxious period, exclusive of that when a horse is running, both to the owner and the trainer of a race horse, than when he is going over his last sweats, especially if his legs be rather doubtful. This anxiety is increased if the boy does not ride him exactly to order, or the animal does not realize the too-sanguine expectations of the party by the manner of his going. The following sketch is somewhat of a description of that which transpires on these occasions, and is an outline of what I am convinced many persons have experienced when placed in like situations:

In spite of positive directions that the first mile shall be done at a very slow pace, the boy is misled by his horse's freedom, produced by the improvement in his condition, and does not distinguish the difference between slow progression and the animal's desire to go faster; so that before he has completed the first mile, he has attained the speed which ought to be preserved for the third. This naturally produces the signal to reduce the pace, in doing which the horse's stride is broken, and he shifts his leg. Being closely observed by the scrutinizing eyes of the owner, his confidential friend, and the trainer, whilst the real cause is overlooked in consequence of the intense anxiety which prevails, the expression is simultaneous-" I fear he does not go so well as usual; he shifts his leg." Having performed another mile, the boy becomes again deceived; the horse, being of a fine temper, is reconciled to the pace, and ceases to pull, more especially if the rider has handled him very nicely in order to slacken his pace, without ruffling his temper or causing him to hit his legs. Thus, instead of the pace being faster at the end of the second mile, it is slower than it was at the commencement. A wave of the hand to 66 come on" indicates to the boy that he must "mend the speed," when, somewhat hastily rousing his horse, he changes his leg again. The succeeding mile being accomplished, both horse and rider begin somewhat to flag; the knees of the latter are seen moving freely on the saddle, and his seat becomes unsteady;-all of which are certain signs of weakness. When the provoking fault of loosing the horse's head at length calls forth the excited temper of the trainer, whose equanimity on such occasions is never at its utmost sweetness, he impatiently rides to meet the boy at the nearest point, where, on being within hearing, he exclaims, in a tone somewhat ferocious, "Sit steady, boy; don't tire; take hold of your horse's head, and ride him; draw him together, and let him stride away to the end, but hold his head fast." Such commands somewhat alarm the boy, who, hastening to put them in execution, again causes his horse to change

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his leg; an event rendered very probable by the state of the animal at this particular crisis, and in fact what will almost invariably take place without any inducement beyond the temporary weakness which is manifest. The party are now all worked up into a state of alarm, fearful that on pulling up, the favourite may fall lame or hit his legs; the latter a circumstance which may reasonably be expected if boots or bandages are neglected to be used for their protection. All eyes are therefore fixed upon him, as in pulling up he drops out of the gallop into the accustomed trot, and are rejoiced when they perceive him move at the latter pace, although languidly, apparently sound. If there be a rubbing-house or stable contiguous to the exerciseground, the horse will be taken there; or in case the home stables are at an easy distance, that place will be selected to perform the operation of scraping. In the absence of these, a sheltered situation in the open air must be chosen: highly excited as the blood is at such a time, it seems scarcely requisite to hint at the necessity of seeking a place screened from a powerful current of air, especially if the wind proceeds from the north or from the east. Beyond this, and if there is no probability of rain, in moderately warm weather, the open air may on many accounts be the most preferable, with care being taken that this duty be performed as quickly as possible, and the dry clothing put on before there is any cause to apprehend ill effects from cold.

The horse having arrived at the place where it is intended that he should be scraped, the girths of the saddle are to be slackened, and all the additional clothing which may be at land thrown over him, under which he is to be permitted to stand a few minutes to excite the flow of perspiration; during which period his mouth should be washed with water from the bottle, and his lips and nostrils cleansed and refreshed with the sponge. When offering the bottle, it is to be taken in the left hand, the person standing on the near side and holding the one rein only with the right; by inserting the neck of the bottle in the lips between the front teeth and the grinders, it is preserved from the risk of being broken. The required time having elapsed for the perspiration to run, the clothing on the quarters is to be thrown up, and that part of the animal scraped, when the hoods must be taken off and the near side of the neck scraped; that operation completed, one of the attendants commences rubbing the part with dry haybands, finishing with a rubber. The person who uses the scraper then proceeds with the off side first, striking the moisture out of the mane by holding it up in locks in one hand, and hitting it with the instrument which is held in the other; the off side of the neck, having been scraped, is to be proceeded with as before directed. During this process the person who holds the horse's head rubs it with a dry rubber, having pushed the front of the bridle back over the ears to enable him to get at the part which is under it; the head and neck being dried, the bridle is to be adjusted, the mane combed out, and a dry hood put on; the saddle is then to be removed, and the clothing stripped off the body, which is to be scraped and rubbed dry with hay-bands and rubbers. In performing this operation the wisp or rubber should be worked the way the coat lies and cross-ways, but