2 CHELONIAD^l. 



THE single and purely accidental occurrence of a bird 

 or of a fish within the range of our guns or our nets, has 

 always been deemed sufficient warrant to constitute the 

 wanderer fair game to our native Faunists. It may, per- 

 haps, be doubted whether the important and interesting 

 subject of the geographical distribution of animals can 

 receive much illustration from thus swelling the catalogue 

 of local species by the addition of such as owe their place 

 in our Fauna rather to the caprice of the winds or the 

 waves, to the violence of a storm, or the temptation of an 

 unusual chase after their food, than to any regular and vo- 

 luntary migration : nor does there appear any very sufficient 

 reason for distinguishing between those species of birds, for 

 example, which are driven over to our coasts by the imme- 

 diate force of the tempest, and those which are brought 

 from the same countries, and wafted hither by the same 

 impelling power, but through the medium of the sails of a 

 ship, and secured by the safeguard of a cage. However, 

 as such is now the established custom of naturalists, I have 

 determined on availing myself of the means thus offered 

 me, of adding to the interest of this little work, by admit- 

 ting, as all previous British Faunists have done, the two 

 species of stray Turtles which have accidentally been found 

 on our coasts, although certainly neither the one nor the 

 other can claim to be considered as indigenous. 



The family of CHELONTAD.E, to which both the species 

 which have thus obtruded themselves into our Fauna 

 belong, is composed exclusively of marine Turtles. The 

 most generally interesting species are the common es- 

 culent Turtle, Chelonia Mydas, well known as a delicious 

 article of food, and the present species, which furnishes 

 the beautiful substance known by the name of Tortoise- 

 shell. 



