LAND TORTOISES. 145 
In the valuable “ Erpétologie” of Messrs. Duméril and Bibron, 
the Chelonians are divided into—1. Land Tortoises, Chersites. 2. 
Marsh Tortoises, Z/odites. 3. River Tortoises, Potamites. 4. Sea 
Tortoises, or Turtles, Zhalassites. 
This arrangement being the most simple, is adopted as being 
best adapted to our purpose. ] 
LAND TORTOISES. 
Terrestrial Tortoises are distinguished by their short, oval, and 
convex bodies, covered by carapace and plastron ; four feet, and the 
absence of teeth; short, stumpy, unshapely legs ; nearly equal toes, 
armed with claws, united by a thick skin, so as to form a clumsy 
foot, the periphery of which forms a sort of hoof, which seems 
adapted for the land. 
In this group the carapace is very convex, its height sometimes 
exceeding its breadth; it forms a solid generally an immovable arch, 
under which the animal can completely conceal its feet and tail. 
This duckler is covered with large horny plates. 
Land Tortoises have been known from the earliest time, repre- 
sentations of them being found on numerous monuments of anti- 
quity. Moreover, ancient writers tell us that the carapace of the 
tortoise contributed its substance to the formation of the first lyre ; 
it was consequently sacred to Mercury as the deity of music and 
inventor of that instrument. 
The Land Tortoises are divided into four genera, which Duméril 
and Bibron again divide into three sub-genera and thirty species. 
The most interesting species, however, to which we must limit 
our remarks are—the Marginate Tortoise, Zestudo marginata, the 
Moorish Tortoise, Zestudo mauritianica; the Greek Tortoise, Zestudo 
Greca,; and the Elephantine Tortoise, Zestudo elephantina. 
The Marginate Tortoise, which was long confounded with the 
Greek Tortoise, is found abundantly in Egypt. The carapace is oval 
in form, oblong, convex, and much dilated at the posterior margin, 
and nearly horizontal; the plastron is movable behind, which is 
its chief sub-generic character; the tail is thick, conical, and 
scarcely issues from the carapace. The plates of the disc are of a 
blackish-brown, presenting towards the centre certain spots of a 
beautiful yellow colour; the marginal plates are habitually orna- 
mented with two triangular spots, one yellow, the other black. 
The under part of the body is of a dirty yellow, with one large 
triangular black spot upon six or eight of the sternal scales. This 
Tortoise is of medium size. 
