THE LAND TORTOISES AND TERRAPINS 2417 



Minor, Transcaucasia, and Persia. A third species often represented among the 

 shiploads of these reptiles exported to England, is the margined tortoise (T. mar- 

 ginata}, which attains a length of eleven inches, and appears to be confined to 

 Greece. The absence of an enlarged tubercle on the thigh serves to distinguish it 

 from the preceding species, from which it also differs by the longer and more 

 depressed shell, in which the hinder margin is much expanded, and more or less ser- 

 rated. Usually the carapace of the adult is black with a small yellow or greenish 

 spot on each shield; while the ground color of the plastron is yellowish-, each of its 

 shields being marked by a black patch, which generally takes a triangular form. 

 This species appears to be confined to Greece; but in Lower Egypt and Syria is re- 

 placed by the smaller L,eith's tortoise (T. leithi], in which the carapace is rela- 

 tively shorter and more deeply notched in front, while the form and arrangement of 

 the tubercles on the fore- limb is different. 



All these tortoises appear identical in their habits, frequenting dry and sandy 

 places, and being extremely fond of sunshine, in which they will bask by the hour 

 together. In certain parts of Greece and the south of Italy, the Grecian tortoise is 

 found in great numbers, and in the markets of Sicily and Italy it is regularly ex- 

 posed for sale as an article of food. At the approach of winter it buries itself deep 

 in the earth, where it remains during the cold months, usually reappearing in 

 April, but in Sicily as early as February. Although its main food consists of 

 plants and fruits, it will likewise consume such snails, worms, and insects as it 

 may meet with during its wanderings. In captivity, where they have been known 

 to live for a great number of years, these tortoises display great partiality for 

 milky plants, such as lettuce; and they are always fond of a bath. At the ap- 

 proach of rain they always hide themselves, but in fine weather remain abroad 

 throughout the day. In excavating a burrow for the winter's sleep, the earth is 

 dug up by the strong fore-limbs, and thrown out from the hole by the hinder pair. 

 The pairing season commences immediately after the awakening from the winter 

 sleep, and in May or June the female lays from eight to fifteen hard -shelled white 

 eggs, of about the size of a hazelnut. These are deposited in a hole in the earth 

 in some sunny spot, and after being carefully covered up, are left to hatch. By 

 September the young tortoises are about the size of half a walnut shell and present 

 an exceedingly comic appearance. 



There are certain other species belonging to the same group as 

 the Grecian tortoise, which demand a brief notice. Among these is 

 the handsome elongated tortoise (7! elongata} from Bengal, Burma, Cambodia, and 

 Cochin China, taking its name from the great length of the depressed shell of the 

 males; the females being much smaller, with a relatively-shorter and wider shell. 

 These tortoises differ from the European species by the anal shields of the plastron 

 having a very short line of union in the middle, even if they meet at all. The 

 ground color of the shell is greenish yellow, upon which is an irregular black patch 

 in each shield, which may occupy nearly the whole area of such shields, leaving 

 merely a narrow yellow margin, or may be much broken up and indistinct. The 

 male attains a length of between ten and eleven inches. Forsten's tortoise (T, 

 forsteni) from Celebes and Gilolo may be distinguished by the want of a nuchal 

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