I 38 1 
Of about the same size is the Loggerhead Turtle (r/w/tfA- 
socfielys caretta). The Malays call it * penyu tembaga ' from 
its coppery colour. It has a powerful head and a strongly 
hooked beak and feeds on cuttle-fish and shellfish, its strong 
jaws finding no difficulty in crushing the shells. It is not 
edible. It is also found in all tropical and subtropical seas. 
Very different are the *Soft Turtles' (Malay name 
' labi-labi ' ) living in fresh water, chiefly in rivers. They have 
no horny scales, and their bony shell is covered merely by a soft 
skin. Their jaws are concealed under fleshy lips, and their 
snout ends in a proboscis. The name of the family * Triony- 
chidae ' is due to their having three claws only. They have a 
long and flexible neck which, together with the head, can 
completely be withdrawn below the shell Almost more than 
in structure they differ from the marine Turtles by their habit. 
They are exceedingly ferocious, their head and neck can dart 
out from below the shell with incredible rapidity and inflict 
serious bites. Of course they are carnivorous. Not unfre- 
quently specimens are caught which on their back bear 
inscriptions in Chinese characters. The Chinese have the 
custom of catching these and indeed any turtles, to inscribe 
some pious sayings upon their skin and to let them go again, 
as insurance for the next world The two best known ' Soft 
Turtles* of the Malayan region are Trionyx cart ilaghteus and 
Pclochclys fafUon's. Their shell reaches a length of 24 inches, 
but the largest specimen in the Museum measures only 
19 inches. 
The Tortoises can at once be distinguished from the 
Turtles by their well-formed feet with four or five claws. Their 
head, neck and limbs can be withdrawn within the shell, and in 
order to make this protection still more perfect, we find that in 
some instances the lower shell is furnished with a transverse 
hinge so that its two halves may close tightly against the 
carapace. They are terrestrial or semi-aquatic. Their general 
Malay name is ' Kura-Kura/ The largest of the Malay 
Tortoises exhibited is a species called Batagur baska, from the 
little Siak River, Sumatra, presented by Dr. Abbott in 1906. 
Its shell, that of a male, is just over two feet in length. Not 
quite so large is the Testiido emys which is fairly common on the 
hills of the Malay Peninsula, One of the specimens in the 
Museum was caught only in August last (1907) just below the 
Gap " Resthouse, Selangor. It laid five eggs a few days 
after it had been captured, and when two months later it was 
killed. previouiT to -being stuffed, it was found to contain 
