TURTLE 



>020 



TURTLEDOVE 



TURTLE, tur't'l, the general name for a 

 group of marine and fresh-water reptiles having 

 the body encased in a bony upper and lower 

 shell attached to the ribs and vertebrae. Tor- 

 toise is applied more especially to land forms, 



SOFT-SHELL TURTLE 



though the names are sometimes used inter- 

 changeably. Turtle shells are in two parts, the 

 upper portion being known as the carapace, 

 and the lower as the plastron. An exception to 

 this is the leathery covering of the leatherback 

 turtle (which see), which is all in one piece. In 

 some species the shells have beautiful mark- 

 ings; that of the hawksbill is the source of so- 

 called tortoise shell (see TORTOISE). Turtles 

 have no teeth, but the jaws are edged with 

 tough, horny skin, and in some species they 

 give the ugly, flattened head a terrifying ap- 

 pearance. The limbs protruding from the shell 

 covering are clumsy, paddle-shaped objects, ter- 

 minating in webbed claws. Legs, neck and tail 

 are encased in a horny covering, and all can at 

 will be drawn inward between the two parts of 

 the shell, out of sight. 



Mollusks, seaweed, fish, earthworms and in- 

 sect larvae are eaten by turtles, but some spe- 

 cies feed principally on vegetable life. The 

 eggs are usually deposited in holes in sandy 

 slopes, covered with sand and left to hatch by 

 the heat of the sun. Young turtles as soon as 

 they emerge from the eggs begin to crawl 

 about, and soon find their way to the water. 



Of the species eaten by man, the most valu- 

 able is the green turtle, the flesh of which makes 

 a delicious soup. This is a large marine species 

 found in both the Atlantic and the Pacific 

 waters. It sometimes reaches a weight of 350 

 pounds. Both the flesh and eggs are valued as 

 food. Among other edible forms is the snap- 

 ping turtle (see below). See, also, TERRAPIN. 



Snapping Turtle. This name is applied to a 

 group of large fresh-water turtles having keen- 

 edged jaws, with which they fight viciously. 



The common snapping turtle of America i^ dis- 

 tributed from Southern Canada as far south 

 as Ecuador, and it frequents sluggish, muddy 

 st roams and marsh ponds. The carapace is dull 

 olive or dark brown, and has few markings. 

 Average specimens are over two feet long from 

 tip of tail to head, and weigh about thirty-two 

 pounds. The snapping turtle has a large, pow- 

 erful head and the jaws are provided with 

 strong hooks; when attacked it thrusts out its 

 head with the rapidity of a snake and fa- 

 its jaws in the enemy so viciously as to inflict a 

 serious wound. It feeds only on animal life, and 

 is fond of young waterfowl. Both its flesh and 

 eggs are esteemed as food. A species found 

 only in the streams of the Southern states is the 

 huge alligator snapping turtle, averaging over 

 a hundred pounds in weight. The jaws of large 

 specimens are powerful enough to amputate 

 the hand or foot of a man. 



Soft-Shell Turtle. This group consists of 

 twenty-seven species, found in North America, 

 Asia and Africa. These turtles have soft, leath- 

 ery shells, and, as another marked character- 

 istic, a long, retractile neck. In the Southern 

 United States, where soft-shell turtles are com- 

 mon, they are called flapjacks. G.B.D. 



Consult Williston's Water Reptiles of the Past 

 and Present. 



TURTLEDOVE, a small dove found through- 

 out the Old World, usually nesting in temper- 

 ate regions and migrating in winter to warm 

 latitudes. In spring it has a plaintive, cooing 

 note. The turtledove of Europe is of an ashen 



THE TURTLEDOVE 



color, tinged with wine red. It inhabits woods 

 and plantations and feeds on seeds and grain. 

 Being shy, it is seldom seen. Its nest is loosely 

 built and placed in a low tree or hedge. The 

 eggs are creamy-white in color and two in num- 

 ber. Two broods are reared in a season. 



