NORTH AMERICA*- 
expofures to light ; the fides and belly of a bright 
pale yellow ; the belly faintly flamed with vermiliion 
red, infenfibly blended with the yellow on the fides, 
and all garnifhed with fiery, blue, green, gold and 
filver fpecks on the fcales ; the branchioftega, is of a 
yellowifh clay or ftraw colour'; the lower edge or 
border next the opening of the gills, is near a quar- 
ter of an inch in breadth, of a fea green or ma- 
rine blue ; the ulterior angle protends backwards to 
a confiderable lengthy in the form of a fpatula or 
feather, the extreme end dilated and circular, of k 
deep black or crow colour, reflecting green and 
blue, and bordered round with fiery red, fomewhat 
like red fealing wax, reprefenting a brilliant ruby on 
the fide of the fifh ; the fins reddifh, edged with a 
dove colour : it is defervedly eiteemed a mod ex- 
cellent fifh. 
Here are, as well as in all the rivers, lakes, and 
ponds of Eaft Florida, the great foft fheliqpl tor- 
toifes*: they are very large when full grown, from 
twenty to thirty and forty pounds weight, extremely 
fat and delicious, but if eaten to excefs are apt to 
purge people not accuftomed to eat their meat. 
They are flat and very thin ; two feet and a half 
in length, and eighteen inches in breadth acrofs the 
back ; in form, appearance, and texture, very much 
refembling the fea turtle-: the whole back fhell, 
except the vertebra or ridge, which is not at all 
prominent, and ribs on each fide, is foft or carti- 
laginous, and eafily reduced to a jelly when boil- 
ed ; the anterior and pofterior extremities of the 
back fhell, appear to be emboflfed with round, 
^ * Teftudo nafo cylindracio elongato, truncata. 
homy 
