TURTLES. 



"5 



with its beautifully carved scales, the Speckled Tortoise 

 with its black shell ornamented with orange-colored 

 dots, and the Snapping Tur- 

 tle, live in fresh-water ponds 

 and streams, coming at times 

 upon the land. Others, like 

 the Salt-water Terrapin, so 

 much prized for food, live 

 in salt-water creeks. Others, 

 like the Hawkbill Turtle, the 

 Green Turtles, and the Soft- 

 Shelled Sphargis, live in the 

 ocean, and only come on 

 shore to lay their eggs. The 

 land and fresh-water turtles 

 of North America have the 



1 11 f c 4- • -It Fiff. i6S. — Skeleton of a Turtle, 



shell from tour to six or eight '^ 



inches long, except the Gophers and Snappers, which 



are much larger, having the shell a foot and a half 



or more in length ; in some cases, the Snapping Turtle 



is four feet long from the nose to the tip of the tail. 



This turtle has the head and neck very large, and 



the jaws strongly hooked ; it is exceedingly powerful, 



and very voracious, devouring smaller reptiles, fishes, 



young ducks, and other small animals. When molested 



it raises itself on its legs, opens its mouth wide, and, 



throwing the body forward, snaps its jaws upon its 



enemy with fearful power. See Figure 171. 



The Hawkbill Turtle, Figure 172, lives in the warm 

 parts of the Atlantic Ocean, and weighs about two 

 hundred pounds ; its scales furnish the material for 

 beautiful and costly tortoise-shell ornaments. 



The Green Turtles weigh two or three hundred 



