4 
TORTOISE. 
den at Lambeth about the year 1633,, continued 
to live there till the year 1753, and then was sup- 
posed to have died from neglect rather than old 
age. Another was known to have lived 88 years 
in the garden of Samuel Simmons, esq., at Sand- 
wich, in Kent. Its real age could not be ascer- 
tained, as it was upon the premises when Mr. Sim- 
mons took them, and was supposed to have been 
introduced there, from the West Indies, by Mr. 
Boys, who was the former possessor. This creature 
received a considerable injury, about thirty years 
before it died, from the wheel of a loaded waggon, 
which went over it and cracked its upper shell. 
The common tortoise rarely exceeds eight inches 
in length, and seldom weighs more than three 
pounds. The shell of this little reptile is com- 
posed of thirteen middle pieces, and about twenty- 
five marginal ones ; its colour varies in different 
individuals; and the plates, when the animal 
is very old, run as it were together, so as almost 
to lose the marks which separated them from 
each other. The under part of the shell is a pale 
yellow, with a broad dark line down each side, 
leaving the middle part plain. The upper part of 
the head is covered with tough scales, and the neck 
with small granulations. The legs are short, and 
the feet covered with strong scales, and generally 
armed with four strong claws ; but this number is 
subject to vary, as the animal is sometimes found 
with five claws on the fore feet. The tail is rather 
