1 "I ] the mouse that never drinks 



a snapper well knows. Though quite frequently found in 

 very dry, cactus-covered desert areas, he is always a sur- 

 prise when one comes across him crawling slowly along or 

 holed up headfirst in some httle recess under a rock. 



It is also surprising to discover that, despite his robus- 

 tious appearance, he is a vegetarian who favors salads of 

 one sort or another and in captivity eats lettuce with as 

 much enthusiasm as turtles show for anything. He sleeps 

 in the shade at midday and he sleeps through most of the 

 winter. Moreover he seems to have been bom old as well 

 as resigned and wise. If you should happen across one, you 

 will see that he is a kind of box-turtle, though the front of 

 his under shell is not hinged and he cannot shut himselE 

 in completely. You may be puzzled by a curious triangular 

 projection in front and wonder what he uses it for. He uses 

 it to fight with when a tank battle between two individuals 

 takes place. 



This turtle, of course, gets his water from the succulent 

 vegetables he eats. But the most remarkable thing about 

 him is the way in which he stores it up against a rainless 

 day. Just under his upper shell is an unusually large blad- 

 der which in good times is full of water to be drawn upon 

 as needed. Obviously he could be called the camel of our 

 deserts. As a matter of fact, I shouldn't be at all surprised 

 if he could far outdo the real camel's somewhat over- 

 pubhcized abihty to go for a long time without a drink. 



Among animals, then, Dipo and the desert tortoise rep- 

 resent two ultimates in adaptation. What plant, I have 

 been wondering, should get first prize in this same cate- 

 gory? Some might say "the barrel cactus" which, even 

 under conditions of extreme aridity, may hold in its pulpy 



