294 



THE VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 



Box tortoise (Cistudo Carolina). From photo- 

 graph loaned by the American Museum of 

 Natural History. 



Some Different Turtles. 

 Turtles are mostly aquatic in 

 habit. Some exceptions are 

 the box tortoise (Cistudo Caro- 

 lina) and the giant tortoise of 

 the Galapagos Islands. Many 

 of the sea-water turtles are of 

 large size, the leatherback 

 and the green turtle often 

 weighing six hundred to seven 

 hundred pounds each. The 

 flesh of the green turtle and 

 especially the diamond-back 

 terrapin, an animal found in 



the salt marshes along our southeastern coast, are highly esteemed as food. 

 Unfortunately for the preservation of the species, these animals are usually 

 taken during the breeding sea- 

 son when they go to sandy 

 beaches to lay their eggs. 



Lizards. Lizards may 



be recognized by the long 



body with four legs of 



nearly equal size. The 



body is covered with scales. 



The animal never lives in 



water, it is active in habit, 



and it does not undergo a 



metamorphosis. Lizards 



are generally harmless creatures, the Gila monster of New Mexico 



and Arizona, a poisonous variety, being one exception. Lizards 



are of economic importance to man, because they eat insects and 



include the injurious 

 ones in their dietary. 

 The iguana of Central 

 America and South 

 America, growing to a 

 length of three feet or 

 more, has the distinc- 

 tion of being one of 



A garter snake.one of our commonest harmless reptiles. the few edible lizards. 



The Gila monster. Photograph one tenth nat- 

 ural size, by Davison. 



