THE IGHTHT08AUBS. 511 



the Galapagos Islands, the Mascarine Islands (Mai^ritius and 

 Rodriguez), and also of the Aldahra Islands, lying northwest 

 of Madagascar, are in some cases colossal in size, the sliells 

 being nearly two metres (six feet) in length. The fierce Mas- 

 carine species were contemporaries of the dodo and solitaire, 

 and are now extinct. The bones of extinct similar species 

 have been found in Malta and in one of the West Indian 

 islands. The land tortoises are long-lived and often reach a 

 great age. Certain tortoises of the Tertiary Period, as tlie 

 Colossochelys of the Himalayas had a shell twelve feet long 

 and six feet high. The turtles extend back in geological 

 time to the Jurassic, a species of Coinpseviys being char- 

 acteristic of the Upper Jurassic beds of the Eocky Moun- 

 tains. (Marsh.) 



Tlie eggs of turtles, as those of birds, are of large size ; 

 they are buried in June in the sand and left to be hatched 

 by the warmth of the sun. It is probable that turtles do not 

 lay eggs until eleven to thirteen j'cars of age. The develop- 

 ment of turtles is much as in the chick. By the time the 

 heart becomes three -chambered, the vertebrae develop as far 

 as the root of the tail, and the eyes are completely enclosed 

 in their orbits. The shield begins to develop as lateral folds 

 along the sides of the body, the narrow ribs extending to the 

 edge of the shield. In the lower forms of turtles (the 

 Chelonioidm), the paddle-like feet are formed by the bones of 

 the toe becoming very long, while the web is hardened by 

 the development of densely packed scales, so that the foot is 

 nearly as rigid as the blade of an oar. 



Order o. RhyticJiocejjhalia. —The only living representa- 

 tive of this order is the Sphenodon or Hatteria of New Zea- 

 land ; a lizard-like form of simpler structure, however, than 

 the lizards in general. This rare creature somewhat re- 

 sembles an iguana in appearance, having a dorsal row of 

 spines. It is nearly a metre (32 inches) in length. In this 

 group the vertebrje are biconcave ; the quadrate bone is im- 

 movable, and there are other important characters leased on 

 a study of the living and fossil forms, the latter represented 

 by the Triassic Rliyncho.murns and Ilyperodapedon. 



Order 0. hditliyopteryyia. — Tliis order is entirely extinct. 



