558 



The Living Animals of the World 



house in the Eegent's Park Zoological Gardens. It usually lay prone at the bottom of 

 its tank, giving little or no signs of life throughout the day, but was wont to display 

 more activity and to move about its tank at night. At times, when ready for a fresh 

 food-supply, it was observed that it would lie motionless as a stone, as usual, but with its 

 mouth open to its widest gape. This attitude it would maintain for several hours together. 

 The singularity of this action was that the gaping jaws displayed to view two elongate 

 worm-like structures, which sprang close to one another from the floor of the mouth just 

 within its entrance. These worm-like appendages were continually writhing to and fro, and 

 presented in both aspect and movements a most remarkable resemblance to actual living 

 worms. With this naturally provided decoy for fish there can be no need for the snapper to 



exhaust its energies in the strenuous 

 pursuit of its quarry. To make the 

 delusion complete, the head, neck, 

 and chin of Temminck's snapper are 

 decorated with small lobular or leaf- 

 like membranous appendages resem- 

 bling sponges or aquatic vegetation. 

 The solid grey-brown triangular head 

 of the animal itself might easily be 

 mistaken for a piece of rock, and 

 thus decorated with seemingly 

 natural growths the unwary fish come 

 browsing along it, rush upon the 

 wriggling worms at the entrance of 

 the cavernous chamber, and are lost. 

 A photograph of this interesting 

 Chelonian is reproduced on page 560, 

 which depicts it with its mouth open, 

 and indicates both the position and 

 the presence of the worm-like decoy- 

 appendages. 



There are several water-tortoises 

 presenting a considerable external 

 resemblance to the forms already 

 noticed which belong to distinct 

 family groups. Thus the MATAMATA 

 TORTOISE of Northern Brazil has at 

 first sight, except for its short tail 

 and nose-like proboscis, much in 



Illustrating the ample chamber-like space provided within the carapace for the 



retraction of the head and limbs. Common With Temminck's Snapper. 



Fimbriated and foliaceous membranous 



outgrowths are developed on the head and neck to a much more luxuriant degree, and 

 it would be interesting to ascertain if it possesses similar decoy-appendages inside the mouth. 

 The so-called SNAKE-NECKED WATER-TORTOISES of South America, and the LONG-NECKED 

 aquatic ones of Australasia, possess modifications of skull-structure and other details that 

 indicate family distinctness. A broad external character that serves to separate this group 

 from the Terrapins and all preceding forms is that the neck, when drawn within the cavity 

 of the carapace, is not flexed in the form of the letter S, but simply bent sideways along 

 the anterior margin of the body. The species belonging to this group, which includes 

 the Matamata, Snake-necked, and Soft-shelled Water-tortoises, and also a few essentially 

 terrestrial species, are distinguished collectively by the appellation of the " SIDE-NECKED " 

 TORTOISES. 



Photo by S. G. 1'atme <i- tjoii, Aylubv.ry, by pci'Diitusion of the Hon. Walte 

 ELEPHANT-TORTOISE. 



Rothschild. 



