ORDER CHELONIA. 



Land Tortoises. Testudo. Bronffn.* 



O' 



Have the carapace convex, sustained by an osseous 

 frame-work, altogether solid, and synostosized by the 

 greatest part of its lateral edges to the plastron. 

 The limbs seem as if truncated, and the toes are 

 very short, and very closely united as far as the 

 claws. The limbs, as well as the head, can be with- 

 drawn entirely within the shields. The fore feet 

 have five claws, the hinder four — all thick and coni- 

 cal. Many species subsist on vegetable substances. 



The Common Tortoise. Testudo GrcBca, L. Schoepf. 

 pi. viii. ix. 



Is the most common species in Europe. It inhabits 

 Greece, Italy, and Sardinia, and, as it would seem, 

 the entire circuit of the Mediterranean. It is dis- 

 tinguished by its broad carapace, uniformly convex ; 

 by its elevated scales, granulated in the centre, 

 striated at the edge, and with large marbled spots of 

 black and yellow ; also by the hinder edge, which 

 has, in the middle, a prominence, a little recurved 

 over the tail. It rarely attains a foot in length j 

 subsists on leaves, fruits, insects, and worms ; exca- 

 vates a hole to pass the winter in ; couples in spring, 

 and lays four or five eggs, resembling those of 

 pigeons. 



Among the foreign species, there are many be- 



* Merrem has changed this name into Chebsine. 



