218 ANIMAL FOOD RESOURCES OF DIFFERENT NATIONS. 



Porter, in his " Journal o£ a Cruise made to the Pacific 

 Ocean in 1813," stated thai some of the great land tor- 

 toises captured by him weighed from 300 to 400 pounds, 

 and that on one island they were five feet and a half 

 long, four feet and a half wide, and three feet thick in 

 the body. He expatiates on the luscious and delicate 

 food that the long-necked and small-headed and other 

 kinds produce. They have been so himted that at the 

 present time it is most probable that the gigantic tortoises 

 are very rare where they were formerly so abundant. 



The land tortoise, or terrapin, which is brought from 

 Aldabra, is a favourite article of food with the inhabi- 

 tants of Mahe, Seychelles, but it has become scarce. 

 Green turtle are, however, common there from November 

 to April. 



The turtle is unlawful food among the Mahomedans, 

 but particular classes of Bengalis eat certain Emydes or 

 terrapins, more especially the Tetraodon Lessoni, of Du- 

 meril and Bibron, which is kept for sale in shallow tanks, 

 many hundreds of them sometimes together. The eggs 

 also of the different water tortoises are brought to the 

 bazaar. In Greece the flesh of the tortoises is abhorred 

 by the people as being that of an impure animal. 



A large black terrestrial tortoise with red spots, which 

 attains the weight of twenty pounds, is eaten in Brazil. In 

 Japan some tortoises are met with in the markets ; that 

 principally eaten is a species of Trionyx, one of the mud 

 or soft-shelled tortoises. The flesh of all are very nice. 

 A Southern Indian kind {Cryptopus granosus, Bibr.) 

 living in fresh water, is rather common on the coast of 

 Coromandel. It forms an article of diet. 



The flesh of the European box tortoise ((7. Europcea)^ 

 though not very delicate, is nevertheless eaten on thfr 

 Continent. It is said, however, to be greatly improved 

 by feeding the animals for some time on grain, bran, and 

 other vegetable aliment. 



2. Of the marsh tortoises we have no details to furnish. 



3. The river tortoises of Africa, Asia, and America are 

 highly esteemed by man as food. 



