nERPETOLOGY. 343 



'mora,' or hollow cane stool, and put a couple of heavy shingles on top of him. 

 We then smoked a couple of pipes and turned in for the night. About midnight 

 I was suddenly aroused by my friend's exclaiming, ' Oh, Lord, there's tliat infernal 

 turtle broke loose again! He's playing the deuce all over the shop!' We jum])ed 

 out of bod, and found that it was true ; the gentleman Imd ' resurrected,' and was 

 making even time of it round the cowshed which forms the so-called travellers' 

 bungalow at C!howmook. Wc stuffed him into the ' mora ' again, and piled some three 

 hundicdweights of heavy stones on top of him. In the morning we again inspected 

 him, and were relieved to find that he was dead ; probably from thirst, for he was 

 apparently as fit as a four-year-old in the middle of the night, and was only stopped 

 by the crushing weight we put on liini. A friend joined us in the course of the day, 

 and we had turtle soup for dinner. I dmi't think this was quite the right sort 

 of turtle; at any rate, we all felt very unwell for some days afterwards, and, as my 

 cook was an excellent one, I am sure no blame attaches to him. 



"My friend killed another of 25 lbs. in the same mill-run last year. We got 

 a native to go in after him and land him in a basket, and I killed him by getting 

 him to bite hold of an iron tent peg and hammering it down his throat with a big 

 stone. The ferocity of these beasts is as remarkable as their vitality. If you catch 

 two of them and place them facing each other, they will set-to like a couple of bull- 

 terriers. We were dragging a small one out on heavy tackle last year, and had just 

 got his snout on the bank (I call it a ' snout,' as the head is more like that of a pig 

 than anything else), when a retriever dog belonging to my friend ran up to have 

 a snitf at him. The brute made a regular rush and a snap at the dog, fortunately just 

 missing his nose. I have since heard many stories concerning the habits of the turtle, 

 which have caused me to change my youthful idea of him, which was that he was 

 a (|uiet and inoffensive animal which made excellent soup. This may be the case 

 with the West India branch of the testudo family; but his Asian brother is a 'bad 

 hat all round,' vicious in his temper, plebeian in his appearance, filthy in his habits, 

 and unfit for human food ; so, if you get hold of one, cut your casting line and let 

 him go. Though he cannot bite through it, he will ' chaw ' and fray it until 

 it is utterly xiseless. You will take a long time killing him ; and, if you make soup 

 of him and cat it, he'll go very near killing you, unless you have the digestion 

 of an ostrich." 



As regards the best method of killing them, I know of no better than a revolver 

 bullet through the brain. If laid on their liack, the head will soon be extended with 

 the object of righting themselves, and getting once more on their legs. A more 

 clumsy way is by jamming the animal into a corner and extracting the heart by a 

 slit along the hind legs. Or the animal's head may be caught in a noose, dragged 

 out, and cut off. To do this, place a slip noose in front of the animal's retracted nose, 

 holding the ends very short in either hand. When the head is well protruded 

 through, draw tight, with an instantaneous jerk, but if not very sharp, the noose 

 will miss, and the animal being alarmed will not readily put its head out again. 

 If only wanted for food, the animal can be instantly killed by cutting through its 

 back, the spinal marrow being thus divided and sensation at once extinguished. To 

 boil the wretched animal, as is sometimes done, is a brutal and stupid proceeding. 



Fnmihj Chelonidse. 



Marine turtles, with fins in place of feet. 



CouANA, Gray. 



Five pair of costal shields, often subdivided. Carnivorous. Inedible. 



C. OLiVACEA, Eschs. 



The Indian loggerhead. 



Chklonia, Fleming. 



Four pairs of costal shiulds, often subdivided. Algivorous. Edible. 



