ORDER CHELONIA. 55 



they ceased to remain in a state of contraction, and made any 

 attempt to bite or scratch. It is asserted, however, that 

 there are some species which know how to defend themselves 

 when an attempt is made to seize them ; if so, they are 

 assuredly by much the fewer number. 



But if the tortoises do not very readily bite their adver- 

 saries, it appears that when they do bite they bite most 

 cruelly. There is no possible means of making them let go 

 their hold. Even killing them will not suffice. They wUl 

 retain the piece unless their jaws be completely broken. The 

 naturalist above cited, used to avail himself of this pecu- 

 liarity of the tortoise in the operations which we have men- 

 tioned. It was sufficient to present them with a piece of 

 wood to bite, to hinder them from making any effiDrt to 

 revenge themselves for the pain inflicted on them. 



Having mentioned that M. Bosc employed himself in strip- 

 ping those animals of their testa while alive, for the purpose 

 of stuffing and preserving it, it would be gross injustice not 

 to state that gentleman''s apology for this seemingly wan- 

 ton cruelty. To the question, why did he not first kill 

 the tortoises, whose spoils he was desirous of preserving ? 

 M. Bosc replies, because the thing was impossible. It is 

 difficult to conceive the degree of tenacity of life in these 

 animals. There is no means of killing them without destroy- 

 ing their general oi'ganization ; and it was necessary for the 

 purposes of science that their skin and carapace should 

 remain unaltered. Privation of air, and the deleterious gases, 

 scarcely exercise any action upon them. It was only after 

 removing all the internal organs, that M. Bosc could put 

 an end to their sufferings, by cutting the spinal marrow : and 

 even this did not always succeed. A tortoise has been seen 

 in Paris, enfeebled by a voyage of two hundred leagues, and 

 a fast of many months, to live an entire day after the head 

 was cut off. 



