CRUSTACEOU6 FISHES. 



(569 



with its nippers ; which if it fastens upon it 

 will soontT die than quit the grasp. The 

 wound is very painful, and not easily cured. 

 For this reason, and as it is not much esteem- 

 ed for its flesh, it is generally permitted to re- 



turn to its old retreat to the mountains in 

 safety. There it continues till the necessity 

 of changing once more, and the desire of pro- 

 ducing an offspring, expose it 10 fresh dangers 

 the year ensuing. 



CHAPTER CLI1. 



OF THE TORTOISE AND ITS KINDS. 



HAVING described the lobster and the 

 crab as animals in some measure approaching 

 to the insect tribes, it will appear like injustice 

 to place the Tortoise among the number, that, 

 from its strength, its docility, the warm red 

 blood that is circulating in its veins, deserves 

 to be ranked even above the fishes. But as 

 this animal is covered, like the lobster, with a 

 shell ; as it is of an amphibious nature, and 

 brings forth its young from the egg without 

 hatching, we must be content to degrade it 

 among anhnals that in every respect it infinite- 

 ly surpasses. 



Tortoises are usually divided into those that 

 live upon land, and those that subsist in the 

 water ; and use has made a distinction even 

 in the name ; the one being called Tortoises, 

 the other Turtles. However, Seba has proved 

 that all tortoises are amphibious ; that the 

 land-tortoise will live in the water, and thai 

 the sea-turtle can be fed upon land. A land- 

 tortoise was brought to him that \vas caught 

 in one of the canals of Amsterdam, which he 

 kept for half a year in his house, where it lived 

 very well contented in both elements. When 

 in the water it remained with its head above 

 the surface ; when placed in the sun, it seem- 

 ed delighted with its beams, and continued 

 iminoveable while it felt their warmth. The 

 difference, therefore, in these animals, arises 

 rather from their habits than their conforma- 

 tion ; and, upon examination, there will be 

 less variety found between them than between 

 birds that live upon land, and those that swim 

 upon the water. 



Yet, though nature seems to have made, but 

 few distinctions among these animals, as to 

 their conformation, yet, in their habits, they 

 are very dissimilar : as these result from the 



different qualities of their food, and the dif- 

 ferent sorts of enemies they have to avoid or 

 encounter. I will, therefore, exhibit their 

 figure and conformation under one common 

 description, by which their slight differences 

 will be more obvious ; and then 1 will give a 

 separate history of the manners of each, as 

 naturalists and travellers have taught us. 



All tortoises, in their external form, pretty 

 much resemble each other; their outward 

 covering being composed of two great shells, 

 the one laid upon the other, and only touch- 

 ing at the edges : however, when we come to 

 look closer, we shall find that the tipper shell 

 is composed of no less than thirteen pieces, 

 which are laid flat upon the ribs, like the tiles 

 of a house, by which the shell is kept arched 

 and supported. The shells both above and 

 below, that, which seem, to an inattentive 

 observer, to make each but one piece, are 

 bound together at the edges by very strong 

 and hard ligaments, yet with some small share 

 of motion. There are two holes at either 

 cde of this vaulted body ; one for a very small 

 head, shoulders, and arms to peep through ; 

 the other at the opposite edge, for the feet and 

 the tail. These shells the animal is never 

 disengaged from ; and they serve for its de- 

 fence against every creature but man. 



The tortoise has but a small head, wilh no 

 teeth ; having only two bony ridges in the 

 place, serrated and hard. These serve to 

 gather and grind its food ; and such is the 

 amazing strength of the jaws, that it is impos- 

 sible to open them where they have" once 

 fastened. Even when the head is cut off, the 

 jaws still keep their hold ; and the muscles, in 

 death, preserve a tenacious rigidity. Indeed, 

 the animal is possessed of equal strength in all 

 5B 



