CHAPTEK XII 



food, means of defense, weapons, bluff, odor, or- 

 naments, colors, color- protection and color- 

 changing in reptiles 



Food 



The food of the Reptiles is various. The tortoise- 

 forms are largely flesh-eaters, catching fish, frogs, 

 floating water-birds — anything ; but some are vege- 

 table feeders, such as the green turtle, renowned for 

 soups, and the case is the same to some extent with 

 the sea-turtles ; but the " hawkbill " and " logger- 

 head " and leather turtle are carnivorous. The croco- 

 diles are known, of course, to be fearfully carnivorous 

 (flesh-eating). They may approach large prey near 

 the shore and strike it into the water with their tails 

 or grab it suddenly with their jaws and draw it under 

 water and drown it. They usually stow it away in 

 some cavern or safe place till it partially decays, when 

 they bring it to the surface later to eat it. 



The chameleon's diet is one of insects especially, 

 and not even a frog is more highly equipped for their 

 capture. 



So far as the author knows no snake is at all in- 

 clined to feed on anything vegetable, though many 

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