TOT 
For a defcription of the Sea-Tortoifes, fee Tur- 
tle. 
Two of the moft curious fpecies of Land-Tor- 
toifes are the following. 
Tortoise, African. This fpecies, which was 
accurately figured and defcribed by Edwards, is 
the Teftudo Pufilla of Linnaeus. It was imported 
from Santa Cruz in Weft Barbary, and lived fe- 
veral years in the garden of the College of Phy- 
ficians, London. The irides are of a reddifn ha- 
zel colour; the lips are hard and corneous; the 
head is covered with yellowifh-coloured fcales; 
the neck, hinder legs, and tail, are covered with 
a flexile fl<;in of a dull flefh-colour; and the fore- 
legs with yellow fcales on their outfides, being 
partly expofed when the head is drawn in. The 
fhell is round, prerty prominent on the upper fide, 
and flat underneath: it is divided into many com- 
partments, or feparate fcales, with furrows or 
creafes all round, leflfening one within another to 
the middle of each fcale. The fhell is of a yel- 
lowifh colour, clour" ed with large and fmall irre- 
gular dufl<:y or black fpots. There are five claws 
on "ach foot forwards; and four on each of the 
hinder feet. 
When this creature is apprehenfive of any dan- 
ger, it craws it's head, tail, and legs, into the 
fliell; a qiiality it poflefTes in common with the 
reft of the genus. 
Tortoise, American; the Teftudo Carolina 
of Linnaeus. This animal is a native of Caro- 
lina, and other parts of America. It's head is 
inverted with a hard fheily covering, of a dark, 
brown colour on the top; on the fides and throat 
it is yellow, with fmall black or duficy fpots ; the 
noftrils are placed very near each odier, not far 
from the extremity of the beak; the eyes are of a 
yellowifti colour; the neck is covered with a loofe 
fkin, of a dark purplifli flefli-colour, partly co- 
vering the head when not fully extended; the 
hinder legs, and parts about the vent, are covered 
with the fame coloured fldn as the neck; and the 
fore-legs and feet with yellow hard fcales. There 
are five toes on each of the fore-feet; but only 
four on the hinder; all armed with pretty ftrong 
duiky claws. 
The upper part of the fhell is pretty convex, 
divided into feparate fcales ; and each fcale is en- 
graven, as it were, with rings round it's extremi- 
ties, which leflen inwards to it's centre. The 
Jhell is of aduftcy brown colour above, with yel- 
lowifti jpots of various forms; underneath it is 
flattifn, of a yellowifti colour, with black clouds 
and fpots; and there is no tail. 
Both this and the African Tortoife are fmall 
fpecies of that kind to which the Englifh refident 
in thofe countries give the appellation of Tura- 
pins. 
TOTANO, OR TOTANUS. A term by 
which fome ornithologifts exprefs a bird more 
commonly called vetola; frequent in Italy. 
In the Linnfean fyftem, the Totanus is a fpe- 
cies of the fcolopax, the crex of authors in ge- 
neral. See Rail. 
TOTAQUESTAC. An American bird de- 
fcribed' by Nieremberg. It is fomev/hat fmailer 
than the pigeon: the whole plumage is of a beau- 
tiful green colour; and the tail-feathers, which 
"are prodigiously long, are much valued. 
This beautiful bird is in fuch high eftimation 
among the Indians, that it is death by their laws 
to kill it: however, they do not fcruple to'ftrip it 
TOU 
of it's elegant plumage whenever they can catch 
it. 
TOTTAVILLA. A name by which fome 
ornithologifts exprefs the alauda arborea, or com- 
mon wood-lark. 
TOUCAN. A genus of birds of the order of 
picffi in the Linnsan fyftem: the charafters of 
which are; that the bill is very large, convex, 
and ferrated on the edges; both mandibles are 
bent at the apex; the noftrils are fituated near the 
bafe of the bill; the tongue is feathered about the 
edges; and the feet are formed for climbing. 
L/innjeus enumerates eight fpecies, moft of' 
which are natives of South America. 
Toucan, Red-Beaked ; the RamphaftosTu- 
canus of Linnaeus. The ftiape of this bird re- 
fembles that of the jack-daw ; and the fize is 
nearly the fam.e. The head is very large, and 
v/ell calculated to fupport it's enormous bill, 
which, fiom the bafe to the point, is fix inches 
and a half in length, and in the thickeft part ex- 
ceeds two inches in breadth: it's thicknefs near 
the head is one inch and a quarter; it is a little 
arched or rounded along the top of the upper 
chap; and the under fide is alfo rounded. The 
whole fubftance of the bill is extremely flight, and 
almoft as thin as parchment. The upper chap is 
of a bright yellow colour, except on the fides, 
which are of a beautiful red; as is alfo the lower 
chap, except at the bafe, which inclines to a pur- 
ple. There is a black line of feparation quite 
round the bafe of the bill, between that and the 
head. The noftrils are fituated in the upper part of 
the bill, and almoft covered with feathers. Round 
the eyes, on each fide of the head, there is a fpace 
of blueifti fkin, deftitute of feathers ; above which 
the head is black, except a white fpot on each fide 
joining to the bafe of the upper chap. The hind 
part of the neck, the back, wings, tail, belly, and 
thighs, are black; the under-fideof the head, the 
throat, and the upper part of the breaft, are white; 
a feries of red plumage, in the form of a crefcent, 
with it's horns upwards, appears between the v/hite 
on the breaft and the black on the belly; the co-. 
vert- feathers under the tail are red, and thofe 
above it are yellow; the legs, feet, and claws, are 
afli-coloured; and the toes are difpofed like thofe 
of parrots, two before and two behind. 
Travellers afTure us that, notwithftanding this 
bird is furniflied with fuch a formidable beak, it 
is very gentle and inoffenfive; and fo eafiiy tamed, 
that it will fit and hatch it's young in houfes. 
They alfo inform us, that i: feeds principally on 
pepper; which it devours very greedily, gorging 
itfelf in fuch a manner, as to exclude it crude and 
unconco6ted. Whatever degree of credit this ac- 
count may deferve, certain it is that the Toucan 
lives principally on a vegetable diet; and, in a 
domeftic ftate, it is known to prefer fuch food be- 
fore any other. Pozzo, who bred up one of thefe 
birds tame, fays it leaped up and down, moved 
it's tail, and cried with a voice refcmbling chat of 
a magpie. Any thing on which parrots feed, 
feemed to be agreeable to it ; but it fhewed the 
ftrongeft predile6tion for grapes^ which, if plucked 
oft" fingly, and thrown into the air, it would catch 
with great dexterity before they fell to the ground. 
This gentleman farther informs us, that it's bill 
was hollow and extremely light, and confequently 
it pofl"efted no proportionable ftrength to it's ap- 
pearance; but it's tongue feemed to aftift the ef- 
forts of this tanwieldy machine. This mem.ber is 
