ii4 
HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
is the most serviceable of any other for carpentry; but, from its obnoxious qualities, 
little use could be made of it. 
“ This island does not produce any kind of tree, shrub, plant, or herb, that is of 
the growth of Europe, except purslane, which is found in the vallies. We sowed 
some of it,, which was brought from the Cape of Good Hope, and it proved to be 
exactly the same as the native purslane of the island. 
■ Anmals . U)0 0 ; ; 
There are no fourTooted animals at Rodriguez, but rats, lizards, and land 
turtles. Of the latter there are three different kinds • and some of them are so large 
as to weigh an hundred pounds. Their flesh is wholesome, and not unlike our 
mutton, but more delicate. The fat, which is white, does not congeal, and is never 
known to cause an indigestion: we considered it as superior to the finest butter of 
Europe: it is als&& sovereign 1 remedy for sprains, rheumatism, and similar com¬ 
plaints. The liver is a most deliciotis food, and is very large in proportion to the 
animal, as it is equal to one-third-of the whole weight of the flesh. The bones are 
solid, and consequently without marrowJ ;/ : 1 • 
“ These -furtiesday their eggs hh The sand , 1 with 1 which they cover them ; when 
they are left to the slow operation of being* hatched by the sun . 1 They are perfectly 
round, like billiard balls, and are not larger than those of our common fowls. 
The shell is- soft,' and the interior part is excellent food. 
“ There 1 is such an abundance of these land turtles, that they are sometimes seen 
in flocks of two or three thousand. They collect together towards the evening, in 
the coolest places they can find, and in such ? close array, that the spot which they 
have choseri stems to be paved with their shells. It has been observed that some 
of them constantly take their post at a small distance from the main body, as if to 
perfqrm the duty of centinels: but the utility of this arrangement is not readily 
comprehended, as the turtle possesses no means of active defence, or the least capa¬ 
city to save itself from danger by flight. 
“ There are also sea turtles in great abundance; and some of them have been 
taken that weighed upwards of a quarter of a ton. They lay their eggs in sandy 
places near the sea, and always in the night: they deposit them in an hole about 
three feet in depth, and a foot broad ; and the largest lay about two hundred in the 
short space of two hours: having covered them with sand, they leave them to be 
