70 Land Toetoises. KEPTILES. Fbesh-water Tortoises. 
their heads and biting severe!}'. The female lays her 
eggs about the middle of summer, depositing them in 
a little hole, always well exposed to the sun. These 
eggs are generally from four to twelve in number, 
spherical in form, white, and about the size of those 
of a pigeon. The female covers them with earth, and 
leaves them to be hatched by the warmth of the sun, 
taking no farther care of either them or the young after 
being hatched, which generally takes place in autumn. 
THE MARGINED TORTOISE {Testudo marginata) is 
the other European species. This animal derives its 
specific form from its having the hinder edge of the 
carapace expanded horizontally, so as to form, as it 
were, a margin all round. The shell is of an oblong, 
oval form, and the upper part is much swollen, and is 
nearly as high as it is broad. The plastron or breast- 
bone is somewhat movable in its hinder part, the 
animal being able to bring it close to the carapace, 
without however being able to touch it. The jaws are 
strong, sharp-edged, and slightly toothed on the sides. 
The tail is conical, thick, and short, scarcely extending 
beyond the edge of the shell. The skin of the legs is 
imbricately covered with thick, flat tubercles. The 
general colour of the head, neck, tail, legs, and cara- 
pace is deep black, the latter having the areoloe of a 
fine yellow. The under part of the shell is of a dirty 
yellow. In size this species exceeds considerably the 
Greek tortoise, being from fourteen to sixteen inches 
in length, and ten or twelve broad. It is a native of 
North Africa, being found in Barbary, Algeria, and 
Egypt. It has lately been found also in Europe, the 
gentlemen attached to the French expedition into the 
Morea having discovered it there. 
Three species of Land tortoises have been described 
as natives of India: — 
THE BLACK OR INDIAN TORTOISE ( Testudo Indica), 
sometimes called the “ Elephant Tortoise,” is the most 
remarkable of these. It is a native of the continent of 
India, of the Isle of France and the Seychelles, and 
is particularly abundant in the Galapagos islands. 
It is said to be found also in California. It is not 
improbable, however, as has been stated, that these 
tortoises are originally natives of the Galapagos archi- 
pelago, and that they have been carried off these 
islands by the buccaniers, who used to frequent them 
much, and distributed through various parts of the 
world. The carapace or shell is about three feet long, 
compressed in front, and elevating itself above the 
head at the anterior edge. In old individuals, how- 
ever, the size here mentioned is far surpassed. A 
specimen which was for some time kept alive in the 
Zoological Gardens in London, and mentioned in the 
Proceedings of the Zoological Society in 1833 as ori- 
ginally from the Seychelles, measured along the curve 
of tlie back four feet four inches and a quarter, and 
was four feet nine inches in breadth. Mr. Darwin, 
in his “Journal of a Naturalist,” gives some very 
interesting particulars in regard to these natives of 
the Galapagos, but we must refer our readers to his 
graphic sketch of them in the above-mentioned work. 
There are not fewer than six species of the genus 
Testudo, natives of Africa and the large islands adjoin- 
ing. Amongst these are — 
THE GEOMETRIC TORTOISE {Testudo geomelrica), 
one of the most beautiful of the whole family of land 
tortoises, and — 
THE LEOPARD TORTOISE {Testudo pardalis), which 
is found at the Cape of Good Hope. Only two species 
of land tortoises are found in America, and both of 
these belong to the genus Testudo — 
THE GOPHER OR MONGOPA {Testudo Gopher) is 
a native (and the only one) of North America, being 
found from Florida to the river Savannah. 
FEESH-WATER TORTOISES. 
Of these there are three families, two of which are 
numerous in species, living in ponds, marshes, and 
streams, but coming frequently to land ; the third con- 
taining fewer species, and which live in rivers and 
seldom quit the Avater. The two first families are 
Pond or Marsh tortoises. They inhabit ponds and 
marshes, though many live also in moist ground 
Avhere Avater fails. They are much more numerous 
than Land tortoises. The structure of their feet — the 
toes of Avhich are distinct and movable, furnished 
Avith hooked claAvs, and the phalanges united at the 
base by means of a flexible skin, Avhich permits them 
to separate from each other, preserving at the same 
time their strength and presenting a larger surface — 
allows these animals to Avalk upon the ground, to sAvim 
either at the surface of or at a considerable depth in 
the water, and at the same time they are able to cling 
to and climb up upon the banks of lakes and similar 
tranquil Avaters, in which for the most part they make 
their habitual sojourn. They thus form a natural 
transition betAveen the truly aquatic species, such as 
the Soft tortoises {Trionycidce), and Marine turtles 
{Cheloniidce), and the Land tortoises. The habits and 
manner of life of the two families of Avhich these marsh 
tortoises consist, renders them in fact a natural group, 
but in some parts of their organization they differ con- 
siderably. Some, for instance, have a cylindrical neck, 
covered Avith a loose skin, Avhich is movable in con- 
sequence of the slight adherence of it to the muscles, 
and acts as a sheath ; and this neck they can AvithdraAv 
entirely Avithin the carapace. The head is nearly 
conical ; the eyes are placed laterally, and upon the 
sides of the cheeks ; and the bones of the pelvis or basin 
are united only to the vertebrae. These are the Crijp- 
toderes of Dumeril and Bibron, the Terrapens or Emy- 
didce of Dr. Graj'. 
Other species, again, have the neck long and broad, 
and covered Avith a tight skin closely adhering to the 
muscles under it, so that it is not retractile Avithin the 
shell, but admits only of being contracted and bent 
under the side of the shell, either to the right or the 
left, when the animal is in a state of repose. The head 
is broad and much depressed, and the eyes are placed 
near each other on the upper part of the face, and 
directed upAvards. I'lie bones of the pelvis or basin 
are united not only to the vertebrae, but are also solidly 
fixed to the plastron or breastj)late. These form the 
Pleuroderes of the French authors, the Chelydes or 
Chelydidce of Dr. Gray. 
Of all the families into Avhich the Chelonians are 
