34 THE STORY OF REPTILE LIFE. 



the dew is on the grass, or after rain, they 

 emerge to feed upon the grass, succulent vege- 

 tables, or fruit, varying this with gum which 

 exudes from trees, especially the gum of the 

 pine. This species is easily captured by the 

 simple expedient of digging a hole in front of 

 the entrance to the burrow, so that the animal 

 when leaving its house immediately falls into the 

 pit. 



Beauty of form the Tortoise has not, but the 

 coloration of the horny plates of the back, in 

 some species, is certainly striking. This is 

 especially true of a small group known as 

 " elegant " tortoises. The majority belong to 

 S. Africa ; but perhaps the most beautiful of all 

 is the "starred" tortoise (Testudo elegans) of 

 India and Ceylon. 



All the members of this group are conspicuous 

 for their extremely convex carapace. The horny 

 covering shields are either black with bright yellow 

 lines radiating from the centre of each, or yellow 

 with black radiating lines. The effect of this 

 black-and-gold scheme of coloration is, in many 

 species, heightened by the elevation of the scales 

 into prominent bosses. 



It might be imagined that such a plan of 

 coloration would render the wearer extremely 

 conspicuous. As a matter of fact, the reverse is 

 the case ; for it has been shown that these tor- 

 toises are very difficult to distinguish from the 

 rocky ground of the grass jungles in which they 

 live. 



According to an old Sanskrit legend, the world 

 is supported on the back of a gigantic elephant, 



