Of Oyadmped'fo P a r t I. 
Three little LAN D-T O R T O I S E S of the fame 
kind. 
Another little LAND-TORTOISE, of kin to 
the former. 'Tis fomewhat rounder. 
A letter LAND-TORTOISE, almoft circular and 
ridged on the back. 
A great CHE QJJ E R D TORTOISE-SHELL 
Tefta Teftellata major. It was fent from Madagascar. I 
find the Animal no where defcrib'd or figur d. It is above 
half oval 3 being of all that I ever faw, the mod concave 5 
a foot long , eight inches over , and almoft fix inches 
high. 
The Convex is curioufly wrought with black and whitifh 
pieces, alternately wedged in, one againft another, and 
notched, as it were, with tranfvers Incifions. Thofe near 
the Margines and on the fides are compofed into feveral 
Pyramidal Area's, or great Triangles, whofe Bafes are about 
two inches broad. On the Back, into fexangular ones,each 
of them convex. On the fides, and quite behind, the Shell 
is carry 'd fomewhat inward. Before, and hinderly, the 
edges are toothed, and bended outward and upward. The 
inward edges are cover d with lhelly Plates above an inch 
and 5 broad. 
The Concave is compofed of fix and forty Bones. 
Along the middle of the Back, are twelve, all, except the 
foremoft and the four laft, almoft fquare. Next to thefe, 
are eight on each fide, like to fo many contiguous Ribs 3 
together with two lefter fquare Bones before : Next to thefe, 
eight more, as it were, under-Ribs, on each fide. To the 
twelve middlemoft Bones, the Ribs are joyned by an al- 
ternate commifture, fo as one of them anfwers to the halfs 
of two Ribs, (sr vice verja. To thefe, the under-Ribs, in 
a wonderful manner, fcil. by a branched Suture or Inden- 
ture. For the great Teeth of the under-Ribs, being firft 
inferted into thofe of the upper-Ribs 3 the Indenture is af- 
terwards repeated, by lefter Teeth, out of the fides of the 
great ones. The Belly-piece is here wanting. 
Befides the molt elegant ordering of the Work in the 
Convex, there are three things chiefly obfervable, which 
ferve for the greater ftrength of the Shell. That is to fay, 
The Convexity of the feveral Areas on the Back , the 
branched 
