TURTLES. 8r 



everything within its reach; and an adult has been known to make a clean 

 perforation with its powerful beak through the blade of an oar half an inch in 

 thickness. When one of these tortoises is taken into a boat, Weinland states that 

 it will rear itself up on its hind-legs, and with lightning-like speed throw itself 

 half a yard forwards to bite an oar ; and they have been known to inflict terrible 

 wounds on persons who have incautiously entered waters where they abound. In 

 the water the movements of these reptiles are more rapid than those of most of 

 their kin, and when in pursuit of prey they swim with surprising speed. Their 

 food consists largely of fish, frogs, and other water-animals ; while they will also 

 frequently seize and drag down large aquatic birds, more especially ducks and 

 geese. Tame specimens, that were kept in a pond in the United States, proved 

 terrible foes to the stock of fish contained in the same. The eggs, which vary 

 from twenty to thirty in number, and are about the size of those of a pigeon, are 

 deposited on the ground near the water, and are carefully covered over with leaves. 

 In captivity these tortoises thrive well in Europe, if the water be kept at a 

 sufficiently high temperature ; and a specimen of Temminck's snapper, which has 

 lived for more than thirteen years in the Brighton Aquarium, grew to a length of 

 between 4 and 5 feet from beak to tail, whereas, on its arrival, it measured less 

 than a foot. In the confined limits of a tank the movements of this reptile were 

 deliberate and sluggish, and gave no idea of the activity characterising the wild 

 state. Although the flesh of the adult of this species has such a strong musky 

 flavour as to be uneatable, that of the young is stated to be tender and palatable. 

 The eggs are also sought after as articles of food ; and when two or three females 

 have laid together, as many as from sixty to seventy may be taken from a 

 single nest. 



The Turtles. 



Family Chelonidje. 



The families mentioned up to now have their feet more or less fully 

 adapted for walking on land, and the majority of the toes furnished with well- 

 developed claws or nails ; while the carapace is generally of a somewhat oval 

 form. The true turtles, on the other hand, while agreeing with the foregoing in 

 having their shells covered with horny plates, are at once distinguished by the 

 limbs being converted into flattened paddles, in which, at the most, only two of the 

 toes are furnished with claws. They are further characterised by the heart-like 

 form of the carapace, within which the head can be only partially withdrawn ; 

 while the plastron is never united by bone to the carapace, and vacuities remain 

 in the latter between the costal and marginal bones either throughout life, or for 

 a very long period. The skull has its temporal fossae completely roofed over by 

 bone ; and the vertebrae of the very short tail have the articular cup in front and 

 the ball behind. Entirely marine in their habits, and resorting to the shore only 

 for the purpose of breeding, turtles differ from tortoises and terrapins in that the 

 shells of their eggs are soft. In their entire conformation they are admirably 

 adapted for an aquatic life, the body being depressed to facilitate rapid progress 

 through the water, both the skull and shell being of unusually light and porous 



vol. v. — 6 



