The eggs are collected by the natives in thousands, and, when oil is to be made of them, they are thrown into a canoe, smashed and mixed up together, and left to stand, when the oil rises to the top, and is skimmed off and boiled.

It keeps well, and is used both for lamps and cooking.

Very few of the millions of eggs that are annually laid arrive at maturity.
When the young turtles issue forth and run to the water, there are many enemies watching for them.

Great alligators open their jaws and swallow them by hundreds; jaguars come out of the forests and feed upon them; eagles and buzzards and wood ibises are there, too, to claim their share of the feast; and, if they are fortunate enough to escape all these, there are many large and ravenous fishes ready to seize them in the stream.

It seems a marvel that any escape at all.
In a few minutes the old trader scraped up about a hundred eggs, to the immense satisfaction of Martin and Barney.