TURTLES AND TURTLE-CATCHING 



the levitical law in this respect; for where the meat of 

 these creatures is concerned, there is no medium between 

 excellent and disgusting. 



It is not easy to draw a sharp dividing line between 

 turtles and tortoises, for their characteristics frequently 

 overlap ; one cannot say that the tortoise belongs to the 

 land, and the turtle to the water, for there are land turtles 

 and water tortoises, just as there are inedible turtles and 

 edible tortoises. A generally accepted method of classifi- 

 cation is to divide the genus testudinata, to which both 

 belong, into four species : marine, land, river, and marsh ; 

 but for the present purpose it will be sufficient to say that 

 turtles have their limbs lengthened and curved backwards 

 so as to serve as fins or flippers which they can use when 

 swimming, whereas tortoises have not this feature, and 

 though some can live in the water they are generally 

 stationary while there, making little pretence at doing 

 anything but drinking. 



The characteristics which are common to both are the 

 short, puffy body encased in a shell which is made up of 

 two shields, an upper and a lower, cemented together at 

 their margins. The shell is really an orderly arrange- 

 ment of hard plates covering everything but the head, 

 tail, and legs which usually are encased in a tough, scaly 

 skin. Both animals breathe by means of lungs. Those 

 that pass their lives on land live entirely on vegetable 

 diet, while the others frequently make the smaller molluscs 

 an article of their food. It is said that both can go for 

 months without nourishment of any sort. 



The marine turtles are to be found anywhere in the 



285 



