TURTLES, TERRAPINS, AND TORTOISES 15 



of which he grabbed and bit off like a piece of cheese. 

 His movements were very swift ; using his fore-flipper he 

 could turn almost instantly from one side to the other, 

 and his head would project about eighteen inches from 

 the body. I succeeded at last in throwing a noose over 

 his head, and later, by attracting his attention in the 

 opposite direction, got ropes round both flippers, finally 

 having five lines on him, and started to tow him towards 

 the shore. We were from 1 1.30 a.m. until 4 p.m. in finally 

 landing him. When about half-way to shore he suddenly 

 turned, and made a break out to sea, towing the boat stern 

 first, with all sail drawing full, for several hundred yards, 

 with little effort. He emitted at intervals a noise some- 

 what resembling the grunt of a wild boar." 



The largest specimen on record is over eight feet in 

 length and weighs just over 1,500 pounds. 



Sub-order THECOPHORA : — Dorsal vertebrae and ribs 

 united to form the carapace. 



The sub-order is divided into two super-families, 

 namely, the Cryptodira, in which the neck bends in an 

 S-shaped curve in a vertical plane, and the Pleurodira, 

 in which it bends merely sideways. 



Some of the most curious members of the Cryptodira 

 belong to the family Chelydrid^e, which is represented 

 by three genera and four species, namely, by Chelydra 

 serpentina, Chelydra rossignoni, and Macroclemmys tem- 

 mincki in America, and by Devisia mythodes recently 

 discovered in New Guinea. 



These turtles, known as Snapping Turtles or Alliga- 

 tor Turtles, are characterized by an enormous head, a 



