24: THE STORY OF REPTILE LIFE. 



Similarly the haunch-bones which support the 

 hind-limbs, in other animals lie behind the last 

 rib, and near the surface of the body, in the 

 Chelonians they lie, like the shoulder-blades, 

 within the shell. The anomalous position of 



FIG. 3. The skeleton of a turtle, viewed from the inside, after the 

 removal of the breastplate. Note the position of the shoulder and 

 hip girdles, lying beneath the ribs instead of above them. 



these bones, however, is only a feature of adult 

 life. In very young tortoises, where the develop- 

 ment of the shell has only just begun, the shoulder- 

 blades lie a little in front of the first rib, whilst the 

 hip-bones are to be found just behind the last 

 rib. But the broadening of the ribs caused by 

 the excessive development of the external bony 

 shields gradually creeps over the shoulder- 

 blades in front, and the hip-bones behind, so that 



