QUADRUPEDS. 
85 
223. It grows very fat, and is greatly esteemed 
by the Indians for the delicacy of its flesh. The 
Indians hunt it with small dogs, trained for that pur- 
pose. If it cannot reach its hole, it attempts to make 
a new one, which it does with great expedition, hav- 
ing very strong claws on the fore feet, and in this 
way sometimes escapes. 
224. If no other means of safety be left, it draws 
its head and extremities within the covering of its 
shell, and in this situation it sometimes escapes by 
rolling itself over the edge of a precipice, in which 
case it generally falls to the bottom unhurt. 
THE LAND TORTOISE. 
225. The Land Tortoise is found in all the coun- 
tries bordering upon the Mediterranean, and in many 
parts of this country. From its defensive armour, 
we are induced to place it among the armed quadru- 
peds, although Linneus considers it as belonging to 
the order of reptiles. 
226. It is nine or ten inches in length, covered 
with a strong shell, which is capable of supporting 
the pressure of a wagon wheel without breaking. 
How does it sometimes escape when hunted by the Indians ? 
What is said of the size and shell of the Land Tortoise 1 
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