Uz CRUSTACEOUSFISHES. 



and balancing its body, at lad it turns itfelf on its face again ; which the 

 turtle, when once turned, is unable to do. The n»ils on the toes of thofe 

 long ufed to fcratch for fub fide nee, or to burrow on land, are blunt and 

 worn ; while thofe employed in fwimoiing only, are (harp and long. 

 The brain of the land-tortoife is but fmallj yet three times as large as 

 that of the turtle. They differ in the fhape of their eggs, and in the 

 paflfage by which they are excluded ; in the land-tortoife, the pafTage is 

 fo narrow, that the egg conforms to its Ihape; and, though round when in 

 the body, yet becomes oblong when excluded. This paflage is wider in 

 the turtle, and therefore its eggs are round. Turtles may readily be dif- 

 tinguiflied from tortoifes, by their very long feet, often two feet long ; 

 their toes unequal in length, and united by a membrane, being rather 

 fins than (ect. The tortoife ^hardly exceeds three feet long, by two feec 

 broad ; fome kinds not many inches ; the turtle is fometimes from five 

 to feven feet long. Size, however, is a fallacious diftin6lion ; fince land 

 tortoifes, in fome parts of India, grow to a very great magnitude, five 

 or more feet longj though probably not, as the ancients affirm, big 

 enough for a fingle fhell to ferve for the covering of an houfe. 



Moft tortoifes can put out, or withdraw at pleafure, their head, feet, 

 ^nd t^il under the great penthoufe of the fhell ; there, fecure from all 

 attacks, defended on every fide, it fatigues the patience, and defies 

 *the claws or beak of the mofl formidable animal of the foreft. This the 

 turtle cannot do fo completely. As thefe creatures live wholly on ve- 

 getable food, they never feek encounters ; yet, if any of the fmallcr ani»- 

 ipals attempt to invade their repofe, they are fure to fufFer : for impreg- 

 nably defended, furnifhed alfo with prodigious flrength of jaw, wherever 

 the tortoife faflensy it infallibly keeps its hold, till it has taken out thq 

 piece. 



Is extremely tenacious of life j the lofs of a member is but a flight in- 

 jury ; it will live long, though deprived of its brain, or its head. Redi cut 

 ofFthehead of a tortoife, and the animal lived twenty-three days after its 

 reparation from the body. The head alfo continued to rattle the jaws, 

 like a pair of caflanets, for above a quarter of an hour. Tortoifes com- 

 rnonly exceed eighty years : there was one kept in the Archbifhop of 

 Canterbury's garden, at Lambeth, that was above aa hundred and 

 twenty. It was at laft killed by the feverity of a froft, from which it had 

 not fufficiently defended itfelf in its winter retreat, which was a heap qf 

 fand at the bottom of the garden,. 



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