18 THE SNAPPING TUKTLE. 



seen through the skin, and even the position of the sutures can be made out without 

 much difficulty. 



The head of these creatures is rather oval and flattened, the ja v rs are horny, but 

 covered with hanging fleshy lips, and the mouth is lengthened into a cylindrical trunk. 

 The neck is long and can be contracted, the feet are short, veiy wide, and the toes are 

 connected together by strong webs. They all live in warm climates, and are found in 

 rivers and lakes. 



The typical species is the celebrated FIERCE TRIONYX, or SNAPPING TURTLE, a reptile 

 which derives its former title from the exceeding ferocity of its disposition, and the latter 

 from the method in which it secures its prey or attacks its foes. It is found spread over 

 many parts of North America. 



This fierce and determined marauder of the waters is even more formidable than the 

 two previous species, and not only causes terror among the smaller creatures which 

 inhabit the same localities, but is even dreaded by man, whose limbs have often been 

 severely wounded by the bite of these ferocious reptiles. Like the aquatic Tortoises, it is 

 carnivorous in its habits, and is terribly destructive among the fish, smaller quadrupeds, 

 birds, and reptiles. Lurking on the banks it snatches away many an unfortunate animal 

 as it comes to drink, or seizes the water-fowl that have ventured too close to their terrible . 

 neighbour. So fiercely carnivorous is this Tortoise, and so voracious is its appetite, that it 

 will even catch young alligators, and devour them in spite of their teeth and struggles. 



The flesh of this species is very delicate, tender, and richly flavoured, so that it often 

 meets the doom which it has inflicted on so many other animals. As it is so voracious, 

 it will take almost any kind of bait, provided that it be composed of animal substance, but 

 it prefers fish, and cannot resist a hook so baited. 



Its captor's work, however, is not confined to hooking and drawing it ashore, as the 

 Snapping Turtle, when it finds itself with a hook firmly fixed in its jaws, and itself being 

 irresistibly dragged from the water, seems possessed with tenfold ferocity, writhing its 

 long flexible neck, darting its head furiously at its foes with the rapidity of a serpent's 

 stroke, and snapping sharply with its formidable jaws, one bite of which would shred 

 away the fingers from the hand, or the toes from the feet, as easily as the gardener's 

 scissors sever the twigs and leaves. Such a misfortune has indeed been known to occur. 

 Mr. Bell records an instance where a Snapping Turtle, that was being conveyed to England, 

 contrived to reach the hand of one of the sailors in its fierce struggles, and bit off one 

 of his fingers. 



The eggs of the Snapping Turtle are very spherical in form, and brittle of substance. 

 The female lays a large number of these eggs, from fifty to sixty being the usual average, 

 and always deposits them in some dry situation. In order to find a suitable spot for the 

 deposition of her eggs, the female leaves the water, and is often forced to traverse a 

 considerable distance before she can find a spot sufficiently dry for her purpose. Sometimes 

 she will even ascend a very steep acclivity in her anxiety to find a locality that is quite 

 dry, covered with sandy soil, and exposed to the full rays of the sun. She begins her 

 task about May, and the little Tortoises are hatched in July. 



The following curious account of the tenacity of life possessed by these creatures has 

 been kindly forwarded to me : 



" As regards the tenacity of life of the Snapping Turtle, and the sympathy (rapport} 

 which seems to exist between its severed limbs and main trunk, for some time after the 

 separation has taken place, I witnessed a very curious incident when staying at a farm in 

 Massachusetts, U.S. America. 



When I had brought the animal home, suspended by its tail, I killed it by chopping 

 its head off, yet the head would open and shut the mouth, and roll its eyes. When I 

 held a stick between the opened jaws it closed them with violence, and kept hold of 

 it Meanwhile the headless body was crawling on the ground. 



About a quarter of an hour after having severed the head from the body, my mother 

 had got boiling water, which I threw over the body, placed in a tub, in order to make the 

 horny matter separate from the flesh ; the moment this was done the back heaved and the 

 sides were puffed out as if wind were blown between skin and flesh, and instantaneously 



