LECTURE VII. 9 



of Mr. Schoepf, a German author who has written 

 on this subject, is particularly important, and may 

 tend to save zoological students a great deal of 

 trouble j viz. that the apparent number of the 

 claws or projecting extremities on the feet of the 

 marine Tortoises or Turtles, appears to be no cer- 

 tain criterion of the species, but is found to vary 

 in such a manner as to contradict the Linnsean 

 characters. Thus on collating a number of spe- 

 cimens of the Testudo Mydas or common green 

 Turtle, some will be found with only a single claw 

 on each foot, others with two, or even three, and 

 others with two on the fore-feet and one on the 

 hind. It also appears that the same variation 

 occasionally takes place in the number of claws 

 on the feet of some of the land-Tortoises, and 

 particularly in those of the Greek or common 

 Tortoise, the more particular history of which I 

 shall now proceed to give in as few words as pos- 

 sible. In its native regions it is said to make its 

 first appearance in the month of February, and in 

 June lays its eggs in some snowy spot, having 

 first scratched a hole for their reception. The 

 young are hatched after the first rains in Sep- 



