252 LEAVES FROM THE 



enterprize. Yet there is a season of the year (usually the beginning 

 of June) when his exertions are remarkable. He then walks on 

 tiptoe, and is stirring by hve in the morning; and traversing the 

 garden, explores every wicket and interstice in the fences, through 

 which he will escape if possible ; and often has eluded the care of 

 the gardener, and wandered to some distant field. The motives 

 that impel him to undertake these rambles seem to be of the 

 amorous kind ; his fancy then becomes intent on sexual attach- 

 ments, which transport him beyond his usual gravit}^, and induce 

 him to forget for a time his ordinary solemn deportment. 



It is very possible tliat Cupid may have tlien been be- 

 striding him. White's description looks very like the 

 restlessness of passion, — 



Nee tibi Vespero 

 Surgente decedunt amores. 

 Nee rapidum fugiente solem. 



But the love of liberty and, not improbably, an annual 

 migratory impulse in search of fresh pasture, may have 

 been the prevailing motive. At all events, neither he 

 nor the other (ps^soims are without their comforts. Each 

 of them is independent of any capricious landlord, and 

 both snail and tortoise, if they could speak, might say 

 what it is a great privilege to be able to say, ' Death alone 

 can turn me out of this house.' 



The tenacity of life with which the Testudinata are 

 gifted would be hardly credible to those who have not 

 closely studied the subject. No well-regulated mind can 

 read of some of the experiments which have been made 

 to place the fact beyond all doubt without being shocked ; 

 but averse as every good man must be to the infliction of 

 pain or death, it is but fair to allow that such experiments 

 may be more cruel in appearance than in reality. Redi's 

 operations must have been attended with instant death 

 if made upon the higher and warm-blooded veiiehrata. 

 His tortoises lived, and showed no signs of acute suf- 

 fering. 



In the beginning of November he opened the skull of 

 a land-tortoise, removed every particle of brain, and 



