60 



REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



the Nile to the Senegal River and southward to the 

 Congo. It is the largest of the soft-shelled turtles, 

 growing a shell over a yard long and attaining a weight 

 of over two hundred pounds. In all parts of the habitat 

 this turtle is hunted and eaten by the natives. 



Emyda embraces three soft-shelled turtles confined to 

 India. In the rear the plastron is provided with a pair 

 of cartilaginous flaps closing against the shell as the 

 limbs are withdrawn; when the head and forelimbs are 

 pulled inwards the forward portion of the carapace is 

 pulled downward in flap-like fashion; thus, all of the 

 fleshy parts are concealed when the animal is frightened. 

 It will be appreciated, however, that the animal is in 

 much the same plight as the foolish ostrich, alleged to 

 bury its head in the sand; for the soft-shelled turtle 

 could be easily torn to pieces by the combined action 

 of teeth and claws of a hungry animal. A similar de- 

 velopment of the plastron relates to the genera Cycla- 

 norbis and Cycloderma, both of tropical Africa. 



