SOFT-SHELLED TORTOISE 
While the gopher is provided with instruments for digging its home, the 
East African soft-shelled tortoise squeezes its way in between rocks and 
crevices to establish a dwelling place. Bones missing from the shells permit 
a flexibility which enables it to slightly inflate or deflate its frame, accord¬ 
ing to necessity. 
By way of exception to the general rule, this tortoise lives in the water 
during the rainy season. 
GREEK TORTOISE 
The Greek tortoise, well-known as a household and garden pet through¬ 
out Europe, is typical of the land tortoises of the Old World. It is found 
in the northern half of the Balkan Peninsula, and parts of Asia Minor 
and Syria. It has a pale olive top shell about six inches long. 
When the tortoise sights its traditional foe, the bearded vulture, it 
withdraws into its shell. Nevertheless, the bird swoops down upon it, carries 
it aloft and drops it upon stony ground to smash its protective armor. One 
such unfortunate tortoise, dropping to its doom, fell upon the head of 
Aeschylus, the Greek poet, causing his death. 
Some believe this tortoise to be a music-lover. There is a report 
that during a concert in a small European town, a group of Greek tor¬ 
toises came to the edge of the bandstand and listened intently, heads 
smartly erect, until the conclusion of the final number. Experiments, how¬ 
ever, have shown that any succession of sounds arrests the attention of 
tortoises whether the source be a symphony orchestra or the staccato exhaust 
of a steamshovel. 
It seems rather lazy, even for a tortoise. It goes to sleep quite early 
and rises late. During the mating season, from May until late summer, 
the males woo the females. The male utters a piping sound and caresses his 
belle by bumping shells. Several weeks later, the female lays from two to 
four oval eggs. 
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