THE TORTOISE. 337 



upon its back without seeming incommoded by their 

 weight. Their legs, though short, are very strong, and 

 as it proceeds forward the claws sink into the ground. 



Though there is a striking resemblance between the 

 turtle and the tortoise, yet their habit and manner of 

 living are totally unlike ; the land-tortoise resides in 

 holes dug in the mountains, or else by the side of some 

 marshy lake ; the sea-turtle dwells in the cavities of rocks, 

 or in those extensive pastures at the bottom of the sea. 

 The latter uses its feet merely in swimming; whilst the 

 former walks with them, or burrows holes in the ground. 

 Seba has proved that all tortoises are amphibious, yet 

 asserts that each species will exist either upon land or in 

 the sea. The land-tortoise is generally found from one 

 to five feet in length, from the end of the snout to the 

 termination of the tail ; and from five inches to a foot 

 and a half across the back : the head is small and some- 

 what resembles a turtle's ; and the eye is without an 

 upper lid ; it has a strong scaly tail like the lizard's ; and 

 has the power of withdrawing its head under the shell ; 

 and remains invulnerable to every attack upon it, even 

 from the most formidable and tremendous foe. 



The tortoise is not only a long-lived animal, but is 

 with the utmost difficulty destroyed ; and Naturalists 

 have frequently made experiments to see how far it was 

 capable of enduring pain. " Rhedi tells us, that he made 

 an opening of the skull of a land-tortoise, and took out 

 every particle of the brain ; and that the poor animal 

 gave no symptom of suffering, except that of entirely 

 closing its eyes, which were never after opened again. 



Experiments of this nature, though they may inform 

 the understanding, certainly tend to corrupt the heart ; 

 and that knowledge which is attained at the expense of 

 anguish, had better by far have remained concealed. 



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