118 TORTOISES A&D TURTLES. 



assembled in considerable numbers at the bottom 

 of ponds, or under heaps of rubbish, or the foun- 

 dation of old walls. 



Tortoises and turtles, which both belong to the 

 same family, live partly in rivers, partly in the 

 sea, and partly on the land. At certain seasons, 

 when they lay their eggs, they travel great dis- 

 tances, to reach suitable situations. The wide current 

 of the river Orinoco in South America, is covered 

 for miles with these creatures at such times ; and 

 in some West India, islands, where the smaller 

 tortoises chiefly gather together, the ground is co- 

 vered for great distances as they travel to the sea- 

 shore, for the purpose of laying their eggs in the 

 sand. They lay more than a hundred eggs at 

 short intervals, digging shallow pits, and then co- 

 vering them with a layer of sand. The mother 

 takes no further care of them, and they are hatched 

 by the heat of the sun. The moment the young 

 ones escape from the shell, they hasten to the 

 water, instinctively taught by their Great Pre- 

 server that this is their 'proper home during the 

 first weeks of their existence, and the only way 

 of escaping the numerous enemies which are lying 

 in wait for them. 



Some kinds of turtle, as the green and the log- 

 gerhead, grow to a vast size, weighing as much as 

 800 or 1000 pounds. Their eggs and flesh are 

 excellent food, and are largely used in hot countries, 

 and brought to Europe and the United States in 

 great quantities as a delicacy. All of them have 



