188 THE HABITS OF MALAY REPTILES. 
any kind as they can get, and after writing their name on them 
release them in a suitable spot. These tortoises are supposed to 
bear away the sins of the men whose names they bear, and no 
Chinaman will kill or buy a tortoise so inscribed for fear of being 
burdened with the sins of some one else. This probably accounts 
for the appearance of a considerable number of turtles and of 
the flat-backed tortoises in the Gardens lake, within late years, 
and the temple of tortoises in Penang is 280 used as a place of 
safety for sin-bearing tortoises. 
In the seas round the peninsula four kinds of turtles are to 
be met with. The well known green turtle, Chelone mydas; 
the Loggerhead, Thalassochelys caretta; the Leathery turtle, 
Dermatochelys coriacea; and the Hawks-bill, Chelone imbricata. 
The habits of the green turtle are familiar, from books at least, 
to every one. It is still common enough alone our sandier 
coasts, and I have often seen it putting up its head above water, 
especially in the early morning, off Lumut in the Dindings, and 
elsewhere. It is a vegetable feeder, eating seaweeds, and pro- 
bably, as seaweed is very scarce in our waters, it also eats the 
Setul, a grass-like flowering plant, common in muddy spots 
round the coast. The logger-head isa large turtle which feeds 
on marine animals, and is recognized by the yellow markings on 
its head and flippers. It may often be seen just outside Singa- 
pore harbour, putting its head above water, and then diving 
again, remaining a long time under water. The huge leathery 
turtle, has only once appeared on our coasts, a large specimen 
now in the Museum having been caught at Tanjong Katong. 
It is also carnivorous, and like the last-mentioned turtle is uneat- 
able. The Hawk’s bill occurs in the neighbouring seas, and I 
have seen live ones brought into Singapore, but whence I could 
not discover. Some years ago, while up the Sepang river in 
Selangor, a good way above tidal waters, I saw a turtle slip off 
the bank into the river. It swam very fast down stream, pur- 
sued by the boatmen, and then turned and came past me quite 
close. Its paddles were moving very rapidly and it lay right 
over almost on its side, as if to reduce the amount of friction 
against the water as much as possible. It eventually got into 
a deep hole, whence we could not get it out. From what I 
could see of it, it appeared to be a Hawk’s bill. 
