Turtling

Drowsy with dawn, barely asail, Buzzes the blue-bottle over the shale, Scared from the pool by the leaping trout; And the brood of turtlings clamber out On the log by their oozy house.

The turtle-lings, kept in safety until they are three months old, are then released into the wild.

Fifty days later, more or less, the little turtlings hatch, dig their way up through the sand, and make a mad scramble to the sea.