3C6 



VKltTKJiKATA, 



Blanuino'8 ToKTOiSK, 0. nhntllnf/H, is larger tliaii llic preceding; the shell seven to eight 



inches long; ranges through the 

 Northern and Middle States. 



Fossil Tortoises. — Small as the 

 existing species of Tortoises are, 

 it appears that in former pei'iods of 

 1 lie eai-th's history, at least one spe- 

 cies of gigantic size helonging to" 

 this family di'aggcd its ponderous 

 bulk over the soil of India; this 

 is the Colossochebjs Atlas, the re- 

 mains of which were discovered in 

 the Sewalic Hills of North India 

 by Falconer and Cautloy. Those 

 gentlemen think it possible that this gigantic reptile, which measured about eighteen feet in 

 length, existed down to the human era, and that it may thus have given rise to the extraordinary 

 tra.litions of the IIiiid.)os, which attribute the most important parts in the creation of the worLl 

 to gigantic tortoises. 



BLANDING S BOX-TORTOISE. 



ORDER 2. LORICATA. 



The term Loricafa, derived from the Latin, signifies animals covered with a corselet or coat 

 of mail, and is descriptive of the Crocodiles and their allied species. These are marked by a 

 dermal skeleton, composed above of numerous large, square, bony plates, set in the leathery 

 coriuin or hide ; the lower parts arc covered with wrinkled skin ; they have an elongated head ; 

 the mouth long, and opening as though both jaws moved, which, however, is not the case ; the 

 upper one only is movable with the entire head. The teeth, which are confined to the jaws, are 

 very formidable. These animals are all oviparous ; the eggs, being encased with a hard covering, 

 are laid by the females in warm, sandy places, where they are hatched by the sun, the parents , 

 sometimes taking no further care of their progeny. They are exceedingly voracious, and abound 

 in the fresh waters of warm climates. Some species hide their prey under water for several days, 

 until it begins to putrefy, when they devour it. 



Genus CROCODILE : Crocodihcs. — Of this there are several species in Africa, Asia, and 

 America, but none in Europe or Australia. The most celebrated is the Egyptian or Common 

 Crocodile, C. vidr/aris, twenty to thirty feet long; the teeth are nmnerous, large, conical, and 

 disposed in a single row on each side of the upper and lower jaws ; the body is depressed, and 

 covered above with solid, carinated, bony shields ; the tail is long and flattened at the sides ; 

 gape extending beyond the skull ; each fore-foot armed with five claws and the hinder ones j 

 with four. Except the elephant, the rhinoceros, and the hippopotamus, the bulk of the croco- 

 dile perhaps exceeds that of every terrestrial animal ; no fishes frequenting fresh water equal it, 

 ami but a few species of those belonging to the seas. The largest are not less than thirty feet 

 in length, and one of only half that size is five feet in circumference; the body stands low on the 

 ground, and the animal universally presents a dull and sluggish aspect. Nevertheless, its motions 

 in pursuit of prey are not slow ; and the difficulty which it finds in turning aff"ords the surest 

 means of escape on land ; its agility in water is infinitelv greater. These facts are better illus- 

 trated when the animal is roused to action. Its natural abode is in the water, for scarcely one- 

 fourth of its existence is passed on the earth. The muddy edges and thick reeds of slow and 

 tranquil streams are its favorite haunts ; and it sometimes descends rivers to within the flowing 

 of the tide. On leaving them, it advances always with a slow pace, nearly in a straight line, its 

 belly frequently dragging on the ground, and its head commonly elevated. However, it is sel- 

 dom seen standing, and its chief enjoyment seems to be in lying in a state of absolute quiescence. 

 When in pursuit of prey, it swims gently and silently, just on a level with the water, until it 

 approaches the place where some terrestrial animal comes to quench its thirst. Then curving 



