158 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



like the Crocodiles, to bask in the sun. As with the Crocodiles, however, the daytime does 

 not represent the period of its greatest activity, this being during the night. The pond- 

 tortoises are highl}- esteemed for the table in the countries where the\' arc indigenous. 



The True TERR.\r'INS are all tortoises of essentially aquatic habits, differing, however, from 

 the water-frequenting Pond-tortoises, last referred to. in that they have no ligamentous hinge 

 providing for the hermetical closure of the carapace apertures. The carapace and plastron, 

 moreover, are firnilj' united by bone, so that the two form conjointlv a rigid, continuous shell, 



as in that of the typical Land- 

 tortoises. The terrapins are widely 

 distributed, being found in North 

 America, Japan, China, the Persian 

 Gulf, Spain, and North-west Africa. 

 Terrapin ranks highly as a table 

 delicac}- in the United States. The 

 real Dl.VMOND-BACKED species, how- 

 ever, is now becoming verj' scarce, 

 the supply not being equal to the 

 demand, and many inferior varieties 

 being substituted in its place. The 

 " fishing " for these terrapins is 

 mainly prosecuted during the autumn 

 months, when the reptiles become 

 dormant, and are easily discovered 

 and secured by probing the mud with 

 sticks. The female terrapin, or " cow" 

 as it is designated, is considered the 

 greater delicacy, the eggs, to the 

 number of twent)' or thirty, usually 

 found inside its bod\', being the dc 



fhplf bf .i. o, i 



■ &f i"on, Ayliibury, by / 



GIANT TORTOISE 



The gtanr forrcne^^ like ific telarii'ely dtniiriulife Europeajj I'ariene^^ are esien- 

 tially fierbii'orous 



rigiicur garnishing of the dainty 

 dish. The diamond-terrapin rarely exceeds a length of 7 inches; but some of the inferior 

 varieties, or " Sliders," as they are termed, are nf much larger dimensions, and ma}" weigh 

 as much as 4 lbs. 



From an a-sthetic standpoint the P.MNTEd Terk.M'IX undoubtedU' bears the palm. Its 

 smooth, depressed carapace is not more than 6 inches long, and its ground-colour is usually 

 a dark olive-green, yellow lines bordering its component central shields; the small marginal 

 shields are sometimes almost crimson with black' markings, and the "bridge" uniting the 

 carapace and plastron e.x'nibits the same brilliant coloration. The soft skin of the head, neck, 

 and other exposed parts have yellow and red bands on a brown or blackish ground-colour. 

 This beautiful little terrapin, which is a special favourite for aquariums, is a native of Eastern 

 North America. 



Pas.sing the small and not peculiarly conspicuous group of the AMERICAN Mur)-TERR.\PI\S, 

 we arrive at the very distinctly differentiated family of the S\.\I'I'EKS, SN'.\rPlNG-TURTLES, or 

 AlliC/XTOR-'I'ERK.M'INS, as they are \'ariously called. These likewise are exclusively confined 

 in their present-day distribution to the New World, though in former ages allied species 

 inhabited luiropc. The alligator-terrapins are characterised b_\- the relatively small size of 

 the carapace, within which the animal is unable to completely retract its head and limbs, as 

 in the preceding types. The head is relatively large, and armed with a formidable hooked 

 beak; while the tail greatly exceeds in relative length that of any of the ordinary tortoises 

 or terrapins, and is scaly and crested somewhat lilce that of a crocodile along its upper ridge, 

 and has horny plates on the under-surface. Their popular name, has, in fact, been conferred 

 upon these Chelonians on the strength of their presenting the aspect to no inconsiderable 



