ORDER CHELONIA. 93 



cious reptile, and is even dangerous from its courage and 

 ferocity. It will defend itself vigorously with its fore-legs, 

 and is capable of breaking the strongest shells and other hard 

 substances, with its mouth. Aldrovandus tells us of one 

 which bit a thick walking-stick in two in a moment. 



Catesby says, " The loggerhead-turtles are the boldest and 

 most voracious of all other turtles. Their flesh is rank, and 

 therefore little sought for, which occasions them to be more 

 numerous than any other kind. They range the ocean over — an 

 instance of which, among many others that I have known, 

 happened the 20th of April, 1 725, in lat. 30° north ; when our 

 boat was hoisted out, and a loggerhead-turtle struck, as it 

 was sleeping on the surface of the water. This, by our 

 reckoning, appeared to be midway between the Azores and 

 the Bahama Islands ; either of which places being the 

 nearest land it could come from, or that they are known to 

 frequent, there being none on the north continent of America 

 farther north than Florida. It being amphibious, and yet at 

 so great a distance from land in the breeding time, makes it 

 the more remarkable. They feed mostly on shell-fish, the 

 great strength of their beaks enabling them to break very 

 large shells." 



According to Schoepff, many parasite shells may be seen 

 attached to the carapace of the testudo caretta. 



The Coriaceous turtle ( T. coriacea) is a very large reptile 

 of this tribe. Individuals are reported to have been seen 

 eight feet in length, and weighing a thousand pounds. With- 

 out reposing, however, implicit faith in such accounts, in 

 consequence of the decided proneness of man to exaggera- 

 tion, we may believe that this turtle attains the length of five 

 feet or more. Its body is longer in proportion than those 

 of others of its tribe, and it is particularly distinguished 

 by its external covering, which, instead of being horny, is of 

 a strong substance, resembling leather. This circumstance, 



