SCALY TORTOISE. 75 



for some time in water. The Javanese call it 

 by the name of Taimah, or the digger : the Chi- 

 nese by that of Lary^ or the Runner; a burlesque 

 title, given it on account of its slow pace. Its 

 flesh is said to be extremely delicate ; and the 

 Chinese use the pulverised scales dissolved in 

 water, as a remedy in dysenteric cases, and 

 against the colic. The figure in Bontius, which, 

 as before observed, is somewhat rude, in some de^ 

 gree resembles that of a Manis or Pangolin. 



This animal has been described from actual in- 

 spection by no author but Bontius. Its size is 

 not mentioned. It is said to prey on small fish. 

 By a strange oversight in the Systema Naturse, 

 Linnaeus places its name among the synonyms of 

 the Testudo imbricata. It seems in some degree 

 to connect the Lizard and Tortoise tribes. Mr. 

 Schoepf is not willing to admit it into the present 

 genus. 



