CHAPTEE II. 



TORTOISES AND TURTLES. 



FAMILIARITY certainly blinds our eyes to muck 

 that is wonderful in Nature. Perhaps in no- 

 instance is this more true than in the case of 

 the -creatures which form the subject of the 

 present chapter. To the world generally the 

 Tortoise is regarded as a somewhat uninteresting 

 creature, the type of sluggishness and the source 

 of the familiar ornamental commodity known as 

 "tortoise-shell," whilst its cousin the Turtle 

 has acquired undying fame on account of the 

 excellent soup it affords when boiled ! Yet, if 

 we look but a little below the surface, really as 

 well as metaphorically, we shall discover that 

 these "ugly ducklings" occupy a really unique 

 position in the animal kingdom. 



This isolated position these creatures owe to 

 the remarkable coat of mail which they have 

 developed as a protection against their enemies. 

 This armour, in the typical tortoise, takes the 

 form of an inflexible shell investing the trunk, 

 but leaving the head, tail, and limbs free. These, 

 when danger threatens, can be drawn into the 

 front and hinder apertures of the shell so that, 

 being also armoured, a practically invulnerable 

 mass is presented to the enemy. 



Critically examined, this shell is found to be 

 composed of an outer layer of horny plates or 

 shields, superimposed upon a closely fitting series. 



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