CROCODILES AND SNAKES 271 



ill tlie reptiles, we have another example of the wehbed and paddle- 

 like feet, which are met with so often in the mammals and the birds. 



Turtles. —None of the tortoises, however, are such strictly 

 water-loving- animals as the turtles, which very seldom come upon 

 shore, excepting for the purpose of laying their eggs. Their limbs, 

 therefore, are very large and broad, and, as you may see by the illustra- 

 tions, form most excellent paddles, by which the body can be driven 

 through the water. 



All the turtles, nevertheless, even though their limbs are so 

 greatly altered in form, have the toes armed with strong claws, which 

 tear up the ground if re(|uired just as do those of the tortoise. But 

 for these claws turtles would altogether vanish from the earth in the 

 course of a few^ years, for their eggs are very delicate in flavor, and are 

 a favorite food of many animals. Nature, however, has given to the 

 mother turtle an instinct which warns her of this danger to her family, 

 and so she buries her eggs deeply beneath the sand, in order that the 

 enemies may not be able to find them. 



But, in digging, the claws are not her only tools. They serve to 

 loosen and tear up the sand, it is true, but they cannot, of course, lift 

 It up out of the hole, and so would not be of very much use by them- 

 selves. After loosening the sand the turtle passes her hind flippers 

 beneath it, and then, resting upon the fore parts of her body, raises 

 them with a sudden jerk. The consequence is that the loose sand is 

 dirown out of the hole to a distance of several feet, and the process 

 is repeated until she has dug to the depth of about eighteen inches. 

 At the bottom are placed the eggs, arranged upon one another in 

 regular row\s, and lastly the loose sand is replaced with such care by 

 the flippers, that the surface is again made so flat and smooth that 

 no one who had not seen the turtle at work would know that she had 

 been digging at all. 



Among the turtles we will mention only the green or edible turtle 

 which is very good for food and for that reason is eagerly hunted. 

 They are caught on the shore by being upset and turned over on their 

 backs, and this is usually done with stout ])oles, as well as with the 

 help of the shoulder, and several men may have to join in doing this 

 to a large individual. The turtles are rarelv able to turn back aorain, 



