•MiO 



VEIiTKIiUATA. 



TUli LEATHKUY TURTLE. 



hiiii.lrr.l poiiiuls, tli.'ULcli Iv.iW tliat wcijrlit is tlie more cuiiunon size. In some cases, the in- 

 liiil.itaiits t.f tlio i-uuiitrios where thise animals arc ahmulant, convert their sliclls into boats, 

 ilrinkin^'-tnuJiflis for cattle, coverings for Imts, :uhI Imths for cliilihvn. Tliis species is exceed- 

 iniflv voraicioiis, an<l f«-eils on niolhisca, tlic sliells of which it crushes between its powerfnl jaws. 

 Its tle.sh is worthless, and its ej^Lfs are somewhat miisUy. Jt however furnishes an oil that 1)urns 

 well. It is foiin.l in tropical seas, and not nnfrecjuently in the Mediterranean. 



(rniiis Sl'llAK(ilS: t'yji/Kd-'/is. — To this belongs the Leatiieky Tuktle, S. coriacea — Tortue 



lutli of the I'Vench reinarkalih' for ha\ing the surface of the shell covered with a leathery skin 



instead of the usual horny 

 plates. It sometimes attains 

 a length of eiglit feet, and 

 weighs a thousand pounds. 

 It feeds on fish, mollusea, 

 and sea-plants. Lacopodc 

 supposes that the shell of 

 this animal was employed by 

 the ancient Greeks for the 

 formation of their lyres, and 

 hence it is called Tcstudo 

 lyra by Bechstein and others. 

 It is a great wanderer ; it 

 breeds on the Tortugas and 

 Hahamas, and is occasionally seen on the coasts of New York and Massachusetts, as well as those 

 of England and France, and is sometimes met with in the Mediterranean. Its flesh is not fit for 

 food. De Kay says : " ^Vc are not in possession of sufiicient evidence to determine whether the 

 larore Leather Turtle seen in the Pacific and Indian Oceans belongs to this species." 



THE TRIONYCID^ OR SOFT TORTOISES. 



In these the carapace, which, as well as the plastron, is cartilaginous, is still more incomplete 

 than in the turtles, the ribs being only expanded and united at the base, and running out to the 

 margin in the form of the spokes of a wheel. This imperfect carapace is covered with a tough, 

 leathery skin, which is flexible at the margin, and, as in the turtles, the head and limbs are incap- 

 able of being retracted within the case. Tlie head is rather small, and pointed in front; the neck 

 is long ; the horny jaws are covered with fleshy lips, and the nostrils are produced into a short, 

 cylindrical tnuik. The feet are all short and strong, furnished with five toes which are united 

 by a strong web, of wdiich three on each foot are furnished with claws. 



The Soft Tortoises live in the rivers of the warmer parts of Asia and Africa, and species are 

 found in the North American waters. They are active, predaceous animals, feeding principall}' 

 upon fish, but occasionally concealing themselves among the reeds and sedges of the banks, 

 wdience they rush out and seize birds and small reptiles. 



Oenus TRIONYX : Trionyx. — This includes the Soft-shelled Tortoise, T.ferox, principally 



known in the rivers and 

 lakes of the West and 

 South ; it is, however, 

 met with in the lakes 

 of Western New York, 

 and is common in Lake 

 Ontario. In the South- 

 ern States it is said to 

 destroy great numbers 

 of vouno- allio-ators. It 



seizes its 



pi-ey, 



which 



THE SOFT-SHELLED TORTOISE. 



consists offish and small 



