TURTLES 



335 



in a smooth leathery skin. There is no lower shell, and the head cannot be 

 retracted within the margin of the upper one. Peculiarities in the structure of the 

 big skull, which cannot be discussed here, are likewise characteristic of this species. 

 In size the leathery turtle, which is the sole living representative of the family 

 Dermochelyiclce, or, properly, Dermatochelyiclce, is the largest existing member of its 

 order, specimens occasionally attaining a length of six and a half feet, and weighing, 

 it is estimated, about half a ton. Although by no means common, leathery turtles are 

 found in all the warmer seas, inclusive of the Mediterranean, and are occasionally 

 carried by the Gulf Stream to the south-western coast of Great Britain. In spring 



GREEN TURTLE. 



they resort to the Bahamas, the Tortugas (or Turtle) Islands, and the coast of Brazil, 

 for the purpose of laying their eggs in sandy shores. The luth is a strictly car- 

 nivorous species, subsisting on fishes, molluscs, crustaceans, etc., and its flesh is 

 consequently unwholesome. 



Of the typical turtles, constituting the family Chelonidcv, a well-known 

 representative is the green or edible turtle {Glielone myclas), which is as widely 

 distributed as the luth, but in the breeding-season is met with in large numbers on 

 the sandy coasts of tropical islands and continents. Although occasionally growing 

 to as much as 4 feet, it is in most cases considerably smaller. It is a bold swimmer, 

 venturing without hesitation into the wildest surf ; and, indeed, it is not easy to see 



