C1I KLONI A. 



13 



suspended in the water, in a slate of total inaction. 

 The repose of the inhabitants of the sea is rather an 

 obscure subject ; but it is tolerably well ascertained 

 that several species of surface tislies remain for a time 

 suspended at considerable depths ; and we know that. 

 several batrachian reptiles, the common frog- for in- 

 stance, spend their winter in the crevices of springs, 

 entirely cut off from the atmosphere. While in this 

 state they have the mouth and also the nostrils com- 

 pletely shut, so firmly that the mouth cannot be opened 

 without almost a fracture of the jaws, until the animal 

 regains its sensibility; and hence the popular opinion 

 that, during 1 a certain part of the year, the lips of 

 frogs grow together, so that when they cease to feed 

 they cease to have any opening of the mouth. 



The chelonia resemble batrachian reptiles in several 

 particulars, and in none more than in the form of the 

 month, and the force with which they can close the 

 jaus upon each other. Their temporal muscles are 

 hnU'ed remarkably powerful ; and thou. h a common 

 turtle has no teeth, it can bite a pretty thick rope 

 easily in two, or tear it in pieces. From what is known 

 of the length of time that thev can live exposed to 

 .itinosphere with the mouth closed and the nostrils 

 shut up, it is reasonable to conclude that they are 

 capable of living much longer in the water in the 

 same inactive state. Not only the shelly covering, 

 but the whole of the integuments of the marine chelonia 

 are better adapted for resisting the action of water 

 than that of the atmosphere ; and this is another 

 reason which renders it at least probable that they 

 follow the general law of the family in hybernating 

 for a portion of the year. Many of their general 

 pioperties are, however, common to the whole class, 

 and c;iii be more briefly as well as more clearly ex- 

 plained in the general article. We shall therefore 

 devote the remainder of the few remarks to be 

 made here to some notice of the several genera or 

 sub-genera, into which naturalists have divided the 

 family. 



SEA TORTOISES, or TURTLES (Chelonia). The 

 species included in this genus are the largest in size, 

 and some of them are the most valuable to man in 

 the whole tribe. They have their shell too small for 

 allowing the head and extremities to be entirely with- 

 drawn within it. Their feet, especially the anterior 

 ones, are much longer than in the land tortoises ; 

 their terminations are flattened, and the toes united 

 by membranes, so that they form a sort of fins or 

 swimming paws. The two first toes of each foot 

 have pointed nails, which are liable to droo off at a 



certain age. The different pieces of which thei 

 shield is composed do not join each other by sutures 

 so as to form a continuous shell, like that of the lane 

 genera, but have portions of cartilag nous substance 



)etween them. The marginal pieces arc in part, sepa- 

 ated from each other, so as to form a series of lobes 

 A hich correspond in number to the sternal ribs. From 

 his peculiarity of structure, these animals are not 

 )erl'ectly rigid ; their bodies "give" a little, which 

 >f course assists them in making their way through 

 he water. This genus contains seven or eight known 

 pecies, of which we shall mention only some of the 

 more important. 



CHELONIA MYDAS, common green Turtle, or eat- 

 ible turtle. Of all the chelonian reptiles, this is de- 

 ervedly held in the highest esteem, from the very 

 lourishing and palatable food which it affords to the 

 luman race. It is also one of the largest of these 

 ribes, and it is not less interesting from its habits and 

 manners, than from its utility as an article of diet. 



A full-grown turtle often measures six or seven 

 eet in length, from the nose to the tip of its short 

 ail, three or four feet in breadth, and nearly as much 

 n thickness at the middle of the body. It sometimes 

 weighs eight hundred pounds. The body appears of 

 an oval form, and the head is of considerable size in 

 proportion to the body. The tail is short and thick. 

 The feet are long, and much better adapted to the 

 iction of swimming than that of walking. The head, 

 feet, and tails, are covered with scales. The breast 

 ilate is shorter than the shield, and has twenty-three 

 r twenty-four plates disposed in four rows. The 

 prevailing colour of this turtle's shell, when in its 

 usual situation, is bright brown, with spots of a yellow 

 colour, and when the shell becomes dry, the brown 



sumes a darker hue. 



This species frequents the coasts both of the islands 

 and continents of the inter-tropical regions, and is 

 found in great abundance both in the East and West 

 Indies. It sometimes enters the months of large 

 rivers, and occasionally goes to some distance from 

 the shore, into the sheltered woody parts of the coun- 

 try. It swims with great facility, keeping its head 

 and part of its shell above the surface of the water ; 

 but when it fears the approach of danger, or seeks its 

 prey among the rocks, it dives to the bottom, and 

 may be seen browsing at its ease among the weeds. 

 It is said, however, that it does not dive very readily, 

 as the specific gravity of its body but little exceeds 

 that of the salt water. When it quits the water, its 

 motion on the land is rather a scramble than a walk, 

 and resembles that of seals and walruses among 

 quadrupeds, except that it is much slower. 



The great purpose for which turtles go on shore is 

 to deposit their eggs in the sand. This process is 

 generally begun in the month of April, and takes up 

 several week?, as the eggs are laid at intervals of 

 about fourteen days. When preparing to lay her 

 eggs, the female turtle digs a hole about two feet 

 deep, a little above high-water mark, and into this 

 cavity she drops about a hundred eggs at one time. 

 W r hile thus employed, her attention is so completely 

 taken up with the business for which she has come 

 on shore, that a person may easily approach her from 

 behind and catch the eggs as they are let fall ; but if 

 disturbed before she begins to lay, she quits the place, 

 and seeks a more secluded spot. After having depo- 

 sited all the eggs which she is to lay at one time, she 

 scratches the sand over them, and leaves them to be 

 hatched by the heat of the sun. The eggs of this 

 species are round, about the size of a tennis ball, and 

 covered with a white skin resembling parchment. It 

 is said that that part of turtles' eggs, which is analo- 



