TOR 
napkin; round another table ftood five perfons in- 
Tulated; and two brafs wires, each thirteen feet 
long, v/ere fufpended from the cieling by filken 
firings. One of the wires refted by one end on 
the wet napkin ; and the other end was immerled 
In a bafon full of water, placed on a fecond table, 
on which flood four other bafons, likewife full of 
water. The firfl: perfon put a finger of one hand 
into the water in which the wire was iiilmerfed, 
and a finger of the other hand into the fecond; 
and fo on iuccefiively, fill all the five perfons com- 
municated with one another by the water in the 
bafons. In the laft bafon one end of the fecond 
wire was dipped, and with the other end Mr. 
WalQi touched the back of tiie Torpedo; when 
the five perfons felt a fhock, differing in nothing 
from that of .the Leyden experiment, except in 
being wealcer. Mr. Walfb, who was not in the 
circle of conduftion, felt nothing. This was fe- 
veral times fuccelfively repeated, even with eight 
perfons. The experiment being related by M. 
de Signette, mayor of the city, and one of the fe- 
cretaries to the Academy of Sciences of Rochelle, 
and publifhed by him in the French Gazette; the 
account is therefore fufficiently authenticated. 
Ariftotie affirms that the Torpedo brings forth 
It's young at the autumnal equinox. A gentle- 
n'ran of Rochelle, on diffedting certain females of 
this fpecies the loth of September, found in the 
matrices feveral of the fc£tufes quite formed, and 
nine eggs, in no ftate of forwardnefs: fuperfoe- 
tation feems therefore to be a property of this 
fiih. 
The ingenious Mr. Pennant fpeaks thus of a 
liTiall Torpedo, caught on the Britifh coafts. ' It's 
length,' fays he, ' v/as eighteen inches from the 
head to the tip of the tail; the greateft breadth 
twelve inches. I could not inform myfelf of the 
weight of this; but that of one, meafuring four 
feet in length, and two and a half in breadth, was 
fifty-three pounds avoirdupoife. 
' The tail was fix inches lor.g, pretty thick and 
round ; and the caudal fin broad and abrupt. The 
head and body, v»'hich were indiftinft, were nearly 
round ; about two inches thick in the middle, at- 
tenuating to extreme thinnefs on the edges. Be- 
low the bodv, the ventral fins formed on each fide 
a quarter of a circle. The two dorfal fins were 
placed on the trunk of the tail. The eyes were 
fmall, placed near each other; and behind each 
was a round fpiracle, with fix fmall cutaneous 
rays on their inner circumference. The mouth 
was fmall; the teeth were minute and fpicular; 
and there were two openings to the gills, as in 
others of this genus. The Ikin was every where 
fmooth ; of a cinereous brown hue above; and 
white beneath.' 
TORQUATA. An appellation by which 
many naturalifiis exprefs the common water- fnake; 
fo called from the remarkable ring about it's 
neck. 
TORQtlll.LA. A fpecies of woodpecker; 
more commonly known by the appellation of the 
jynx; in Englilh, the wry-neck. 
TORTOISE. A diPtinCl genus of animals 
of the clafs of amphibia, and order of reptiles, in 
the Linnasan fyftem: the charaClei's of which are; 
that the body has four feet, is defended by a thick 
cruft, and furnifhed with a tail; and the mouth 
has naked mandibles without teeth. Linn^us 
enumerates fifteen fpecies. 
Tortoifes are ufually divided into thofe which 
TOR 
live on the land, and fuch as fubfifi: in the waters 
and cuftom has made a difl:in61ion even in the 
name; the one being called Tortoifes, the other 
Turtles. Seba, however, has proved, that all Tor- 
toifes are amphibious; that the Land-Tortoife 
will live in the water; and that the Sea-turtle can 
be fed on the land. 
The Land-Tortoife is generally from one to 
five feet long, from the end of the fnout to the ex- 
tremity of the tail; and from five to eighteen in-^ 
ches acrofs the back. It has a fmall head, fome- 
what refembiing that of a ferpent; and an eye 
without the upper lid, the under eye-lid ferving 
to cover and keep that organ in fafety. The tail 
is long and fcaly, like that of a lizard; and the 
head may either be protruded, or concealed un- 
der the great pent-houfe of it's fhell, at the plea- 
fure of the animal. 
All Tortoifes nearly refemble each other in their 
external fhape; their outward covering appearing 
to be compofed of two great fhells, one laid on 
the other, and touching only at the edges : but, 
on a clofer infpeftion, we fhall find that the up- 
per fhell is compofed of no lefs than thirteen 
pieces, laid on the ribs like the tiles of a houfe; 
by means of which the fhell is kept arched and 
fupported. Indeed, to an inattentive obferver, 
the Ihells, both above and below, feem to make 
each but one piece; but they are bound together 
at the edges by very ftrong and hard ligaments. 
TheTortoife, though peaceable in itfelf, is ad- 
mirably formed for war, and feems to be almoft 
endued with immortality. Hardly any fpecies of 
cruelty can deprive it of life: mangling and 
maiming are but flight injuries; and it will live 
though deprived of the brain; nay, even of the 
head. Redi informs us, that he made a large 
opening in the head of a Land-Tortoife; drew 
out all the brains j fo walhed the cavity, as not to 
leave the fmallefl part remaining; and then, leav- 
ing the hole open, fet the animal at liberty: not- 
wichflanding all this, the Tortoife marched off, 
without feeming to have received the fmallefl in- 
jury; and lived in that flate for fix months. A 
certain Italian philofopher carried his experiment 
yet farther; for he cut off the head, and vet the 
animal lived twenty-three days after it's feparation 
from the body. 
Tortoifes are alfo remarkable for their longe- 
vity; they are commonly known to live upwards 
of eighty years; and one kept in the garden be- 
longing to Lambeth Palace was remembered 
above one hundred and twenty. The Tortoife 
retires to fome cavern, in order to repofe during 
the winter; and at that feafon, when it's food is 
no longer found in plenty, it happily becomes in- 
fenfible to the want. It is fometimes buried two 
or three feet under ground; having firfl provi- 
dently flored it's hole with mofs, grafs, and other 
fubflances; as well to keep the retreat warm, as tcr 
ferve for aliment in cafe it fhould prematurely 
emerge fromi it's flupefa£lion. From this dor- 
mant ftate the Tortoife is awakened by the genial 
return of the fpring. 
Thefe animals are frequently admitted into 
gardens, on a fuppofition that they deftroy infedls 
and fnails in great abundance. Their ftrength is 
ib prodigious, that a child has been known to get 
on the back of one, and yet not retard it's adli* 
vity; but, when it had carried it's burden to the 
place where it expefted to be fed, nothing could 
prevail on it to advance any farther. 
