UNtTED STATES, 



It is flat and very thin ; two feet and a half in 

 length, and eighteen inches in breadth across the 

 back ; in form, appearance and texture, very much 

 resembling the sea turtle ; the whole back shell, 

 except the vertebra, or ridge, which is not at all 

 prominent, and ribs on each side, is soft or cartila- 

 ginous, and easily reduced to a jelly when boiled : 

 the anterior and posterior extremities of the back 

 shell, appear to be embossed with round, horny 

 warts, or tubercles, the belly, or nether shell, is but 

 small and semicartilaginous, except a narrow cross- 

 bar connecting it at each end with the back shell, 

 which is hard and osseous; the head is large and 

 clubbed, of nearly an oval form, the upper mandible, 

 however, is protended forward, and truncated, some- 

 what resembling a swine's snout, at the extreme end 

 of which the nostrils are placed, on each side of the 

 root or base of this proboscis are the eyes, which are 

 large ; the upper beak is hooked and sharp, like a 

 hawk's bill ; the iips and corners of the mouth large, 

 tumid, wrinkled, and barred with long, pointed warts, 

 which he can project and contract at pleasure, which 

 gives the creature a frightful and disagreeable coun- 

 tenance. He buries himself in the slushy bottoms 

 of rivers and ponds, under the roots of flags and 

 other aquatic herbage, leaving a hole or aperture 

 just sufficient for his head to play through ; in such 

 places he withdraws himself when hungry, and there 

 seizes his prey by surprise, darting out his head as 

 quick as lightningy upon the unwary animal that 

 unfortunately strolls within his reach ; he can extend 

 his neck to a surprising length, which enables him 

 to seize young fov/l svamming on the surface of the 



