272 THE HARMONIES OF NATURE. 



thus, finally, the wisdom of its Divine Author shows itself in 

 every movement of a creature we are accustomed to despise and 

 loathe ! 



In those reptiles which possess limbs, we find* these organs 

 harmonising in every respect with their mode of life. In 

 the land-tortoises the feet are mere awkward stumps; but 

 these short and seemingly distorted members, terminating in 

 obtuse claws, answer every useful purpose, while long and fleet 

 limbs would not only have been superfluous to creatures who find 

 in abundance the vegetable food they require, or who possess a 

 sufficient defence against their enemies in the impenetrable har- 

 ness which Providence has given them, but would, moreover, 

 have been at variance with the remaining structure of the animal, 

 as they could not possibly have been withdrawn under the pro- 

 tecting cover of the carapace. 



In the turtles the feet, in perfect harmony with a different 

 mode of life, are flattened out into the shape of fins or oars ; and 



as in moving the principal efforts fall 

 to the share of the forefeet, these are 

 much longer and far more developed 

 'than the hinder extremities, whose 

 action consists less in propelling than in 

 steering. They are also assisted in 

 swimming by a longer tail, which 



Loggerhead Turtle. , & J 



serves them as a rudder. 



In the emydae, or marsh-tortoises, which form as it were 

 the connecting link between the land and river-tortoises, 

 the toes are moveable, and furnished with long nails, so 

 that these animals are well-fitted for moving on land, while at 

 the same time their webbed feet are equally well adapted for 

 swimming. 



According to the more or less aquatic habits of the various 

 species, the feet are more or less webbed ; for in those that 

 habitually remain on the banks of the lagunes, the connecting 

 membrane is confined to the base of the toes, while in those which 

 rarely frequent the shore it sometimes reaches to the extremity 

 of the claws ; and thus the inspection of the feet of a marsh- 

 tortoise gives us at once a full insight into its habits. 



Among the lizards the Geckoes are distinguished by the 



