TV/A' IMU.\ \ Ti;rnlsK. 7 



tion-. They seldom wandered far from their hoi.--. :m.l c>-nernlly spent part of the day in 

 their burmws. They delighted in tin- sun in mild weather, hut could not supj>ort tin- int. MI.-. 

 heat .f <,iir Mimmer noons; at those hours they retreated to their holes, or sought -li.-lt.-i from 

 tli.- scorching ray llf ''" *' under tin- shade of broad -lea ved pl.r \ tanyer (Arum ctcu- 

 lentiun i that grew near their holes \\a.sa favorite haunt. They could not endure rain, and 

 rvtreat.-d hastily t< tln-ir hnrmw-. or to other shelter, at the coming on of a shower. 



"As winti-r approached. tli>-> confined themselves to the immediate neighborhood of th.-ir 

 holes, and basked in the sunshine. As the cold increased, they retired to th.-ii burrows, where 

 they became torpid ; a few warm days, however, even in winter, would again restore them to 

 life and activity. 



"The adults are remarkably Htrong, susuiining and moving with a weight of two hundred 

 pounds or more. The female is generally larger than the male, with the sternum convex ; the 

 sternum of the male is concave, especially on its posterior (tart. The eggs are larger than those 

 of a pigeon, n>un<l. with a hard calcareous shell ; they are much esteemed as an article of food." 



!'M:II M-- the best known species of these creatures is the COMMON LAND TOBTOISB, so 

 frequently exposed for sale in our markets, and so favorite an inhabitant of gardens. 



This appears to be the only species that inhabits Europe, and even in that continent it is 

 by no means widely spread, being confined to those countries which border the Mediterranean. 



It is one of the vegetable feeders, eating various plants, and being very fond of lettuce 

 '.;',.-. which ; - crops in 11 rathei curious tintm- i. t-i-iiu 0MBI "iT -li.u-ph uh.-n fi.-h an>l 

 i-ri>p. hut dragging them asunder when stringy, by putting tlie fore feet upon them, and pull- 

 ing with t)i.- jaws. This Tortoise will drink milk, and does so by opening its mouth, scooping 

 up On- milk in it.s lower jaw, as if with a spoon, and then raising its head to let the liquid run 

 down its throat. 



One of these animals, which I kept for some time, displayed a remarkable rapacity for 

 climbing, and was very fond of mounting upon various articles of furniture, stools bein^ its 

 favorite resort. It n-v.-lled in warmth, and could not be kept away from the hearth-rug, espe- 

 cially delighting to climb upon a footstool that generally lay U-sidi' tin- fender. It used to 

 clainU-r on th- stool in a rather ingenious manner. First it got on its hind legs, rearing itself 

 -t the angle formed by the stool and fender. Then it would slowly raise one of its hind 

 legs, hitch the claws into a hole in the fender, and raise itself very gradually, until it could fix 

 the .laws of the other hind foot into the thick carpet-work of the stool. A few such steps 

 would bring it to the top of the stool, when it would fall down flat, crawl close to the fender, 

 an<l there lie motionless. If it were taken off twenty times a day, and carried to the other end 

 of the room, it would always be found in its favorite resort in a few minutes. 



This Tortoise had a curious kind of voice, not unlike the mewing of a little kitten. The 

 Common Tortoise is known to live to a great age. 



To this genus belongs a very large species, worthy of a passing description. This is the 

 great IXDIAX TORTOISE (Testudo Indica), a native of the Galapagos. This species is also 

 known scientifically by the name of Tatudo planiccp*. It i> > ,n in the accompanying full- 

 page illustration. Mr. Darwin writes as follows of this animal and its habits : " The Tortoise 

 is very fond of water, drinking large quantities, and wallowing in the mud. The larger islands 

 alone produce springs, and these are always situaN-d toward the central parts, and at a consid- 

 erable elevation. Hence broad and well-beaten paths radiate in every direction from the w. -IN. 

 even down to the sea-coast ; and the Spaniards, by following them up, first discovered the 

 watering-places. 



\Vhen landed at Chatham Island, I could not imagine what animal travelled so method- 

 ically along the well-beaten tracks. Near the springs it was a curious spectacle to behold 

 many of these great monsters, one set eagerly travelling onwards with outstretched necks, and 

 anoth.-r set returning, after having drunk their till. When th-- Tortoise arrives at the spring, 

 quite regardless of any spectator, it buries its he:i<l in the water above its eyes, and greedily 

 swallows great tuouthf uls, at the rate of about ten in a minute. The inhabitants say each 



