FISHES 



369 



shut up his body withm his shell at pleasure. The 

 fore part of the belly shell towards its extremity, 

 is formed somewhat like a spade, extends forward 

 near three inches, and is about an inch and a half 

 in breadth ; its extremity is a little bifid, the poste- 

 rior division of the belly shell is likewise protended 

 i)ackwards considerably, and is deeply bifurcated. 



The legs and feet are covered with fiat, horny 

 squamea; he seems to have no clefts in them or 

 toes, but long fiattish nails or talons, somewhat in 

 resemblance to the nails of the human figures, five 

 on the fore feet; the hind legs or feet, arjjned all 

 round with sharp, fiattish, strong nails, the number 

 undetermined or irregular ; the head is of a mode- 

 rate size, the upper mandible a little hooked, the 

 edges hard and sharp, the eyes are large, the nose 

 peaked, the nostrils near together and very minute, 

 the general colour of the animal is a light ash or 

 clay, and at a distance, unless he is in motion, any 

 one would disregard or overlook it as a stone or an 

 old stump. It is astonishing what a weight one of 

 these creatures will bear; it will easily carry any 

 man standing on its back, on level ground. They 

 form great and deep dens in the sand hills casting 

 out incredible quantities of earth. They are esteem- 

 ed excellent food; the eggs are larger than a musket 

 ball, round, and the shell hard. 



TJie soft shelled tortoise of the southern states is 

 very large when full grown, from 20 to 30 lbs, weight, 

 extremely fat and delicious, but if eaten to excess, 

 is apt to purge those who are not accustomed to cat 

 its meat. 



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