  191. The GREEK TORTOISE (Testudo grÆca) is a species of reptile of dirty yellow and black colour; with four feet, and a somewhat hemispherical shell, consisting of thirteen middle convex pieces, and about twenty-five marginal ones. These animals are about eight inches long, and three or four pounds in weight. They are found in woods of many of the countries of the Continent, and in most of the islands of the Mediterranean. In nearly all countries where these tortoises abound they are considered valuable as food; and are cooked in various ways, but are chiefly used for soup. By some people the blood is eaten without any culinary preparation. Each tortoise towards the end of June lays, in the sand, from thirty to forty eggs, of round shape, and about the size of those of a pigeon. These eggs, when boiled, are in particular esteem for the table. In some parts of Italy it is customary to collect and bury them in places dug in the earth; and when the young ones appear, they are fed and taken care of until they are in a fit state to be killed for the table. In their habits the animals are mild and peaceable; and, being furnished with a house which they continually carry about with them, and into which they can, in an instant, withdraw their head, legs, and tail, they have no danger to fear from their enemies. So great is the strength of their shell that instances have occurred of their having been run over, even by waggons, without injury. Tortoises have been known to live to the age of more than 100 years. 192. Several other kinds of tortoises serve for food as 193. The HAWK'S-BILL TURTLE (Testudo imbricata, Fig. 53) is a marine species of tortoise, of yellowish and brown colour, which has fin-shaped feet each with two claws, thirteen plates in the middle of the shell, and twenty-one round the margin, lying somewhat loosely over each other at the edges. This animal, which is from two to three feet in length, is a native of the American and Asiatic seas; and is also sometimes found in the Mediterranean. The plates or scales of the hawk's-bill turtle constitute that beautifully variegated and semi-transparent substance called tortoise-shell. This, after having been softened by means of boiling water, is capable of being moulded into almost any form; and is in request by opticians and other artists for many purposes both useful and ornamental. The ancient Greeks and Romans were so partial to the use of tortoise-shell that they decorated with it their doors, the pillars of their houses, and even their beds; and the great consumption of it at Rome may be imagined by the relation of Velleius Paterculus, who informs us that, when the city of Alexandria was taken by Julius CÆsar, the magazines or warehouses were so full of this article that he proposed to have it made the principal ornament of his triumph. The best tortoise-shell which is brought into this country pays an import duty of 1s. 4½d. per pound; and the quantity vended at the East India Company's sales in 1808 was no less than 13,728 pounds. The flesh of the hawk's-bill turtle is not only of bad flavour, but is said to be even in some degree poisonous; persons who have partaken of it having been seized with vomiting and other unpleasant symptoms. The eggs, however, are esteemed peculiarly delicious. 194. The COMMON, or GREEN TURTLE (Testudo mydas, Fig. 52), is a marine species of tortoise, distinguished by its oval shape; by the fore-feet only having two claws, the scales neither folding upon each other, nor having any ridge, and the middle scales being thirteen in number. These, which are the largest kind of tortoise that is known, are sometimes six feet and upwards in length, and five or six hundred pounds in weight. They are found, and generally in great numbers, on the unfrequented sea-shores of most countries within the torrid zone. This species of turtle is one of the most valuable gifts of Providence, to the inhabitants of tropical climates, and to mariners frequenting those climates. It affords them an abundant supply of agreeable and nutritive food. So numerous are they, in some places, that instances have occurred of forty or fifty having been obtained in the course of three hours. They are generally caught whilst asleep on the shore. The seamen go gently to the places where they are found, and successively turn them on their backs. From this position they are unable to recover their feet, and thus are perfectly secured until a sufficient number can be collected for conveyance on ship-board. Turtles are sometimes killed with spears whilst lying at the bottom of the sea in shallow water, or whilst swimming on the surface. The females dig hollow places in the sand of the sea-shore, a little above high water mark; and in these they deposit sometimes more than a hundred eggs, carefully concealing them, from observation, by scratching over them a thin layer of sand. These eggs, which are wholesome food, are nearly globular, each two or three inches in diameter, and covered with a strong membrane, somewhat like wet parchment. They consist of a yolk, which by boiling hardens like that of other eggs, and of a white that is incapable of being hardened by heat. The parts of the turtle most in esteem are those It does not appear that the turtle has been introduced into England, as an article of luxury for the table, more than seventy or eighty years. We import these animals chiefly from the West Indies. 195. The EDIBLE FROG (Rana esculenta) is distinguished by its back being angular, and by having three yellowish stripes which extend from the muzzle almost to the hind legs. These animals are not only common in England, but are found in ponds, ditches, and fens, in nearly all the temperate parts of Europe. As an article of luxury for the table the Edible frogs are in great request in France, Germany, and other countries of the Continent. They are generally caught, in the autumn, by rakes with long close-set teeth, by nets, and in numerous other ways. Some persons amuse themselves by catching them with lines and hooks baited with insects or worms. At this season they are collected in thousands, and sold to the wholesale dealers, who have large conservatories for them. These are holes dug in the ground, to the depth of four or five feet, covered at the mouth with a board, and The parts that are eaten are chiefly the hind quarters. 196. In America the species called BULL-FROGS, which sometimes measure eighteen inches and upwards in length, from the nose to the hind feet, are not unfrequently adopted as food. 197. The CROCODILE and ALLIGATOR (Lacerta crocodilus and alligator) are two immense animals of the lizard tribe, the principal distinction between which is founded on the head and part of the neck of the former being more smooth than those of the latter; and in the snout being proportionally more wide and flat, as well as more rounded at the extremity. The length of the crocodile, when full grown, is from eighteen to about twenty-five feet; and that of the alligator somewhat less. Crocodiles are chiefly found in the river Nile; and alligators in rivers and lakes of some parts of America. The flesh of both these animals has a strong, unpleasant, and somewhat musky flavour; yet it is eaten by the natives of most of the countries in which they are found. It is white and juicy; and the parts that are preferred are those about the belly and tail. The flesh of the young ones is, however, said to be devoid of any unpleasant taste, and to be sufficiently palatable even to Europeans. The eggs also are eaten. Of the teeth of the alligator, which are as white as ivory, the Americans make snuff-boxes, charges for guns, and several kinds of toys. There is an unfounded opinion that the upper jaws of these animals are moveable; and that they have no tongue. They swim with great velocity, and sometimes float asleep on the rivers, like immense logs of wood. Their voracity is excessive; springing in a very surprising manner upon animals on which they prey, they 198. The GUANA (Lacerta iguana, Fig. 55) is a species of lizard, four or five feet in length, which has a round and long tail; the back with an elevated ridge of scales; and the throat with a pouch that is capable of being inflated to a large size. These animals are found among rocks, or in woods, in several parts of India and America. In Surinam, Guiana, and Cayenne, they are very numerous: and they are occasionally caught in the West Indian islands. Scarcely any species of animal food is so much admired by epicures in hot climates as the flesh of the guana. It is preferred even to that of the turtle, and is cooked in various ways, being roasted, boiled, or converted into soup. The fat of these animals, after having been melted and clarified, is applicable to many uses. The flesh is sometimes salted, and exported for sale to distant countries. There are several modes of catching guanas. In many parts of America they are chased by dogs, which are trained purposely to this pursuit. Frequently they are caught with snares placed near their haunts, and sometimes by a noose of cord affixed to the end of a long rod. The eggs of the guana, which are generally found in the sand near the sea-shore, are said to be preferable for sauces and other purposes of cookery to the eggs of poultry; but, when eaten alone, they are viscid in the mouth, and to an European palate have at first a very disagreeable taste. 199. SERPENTS.—Several kinds of serpents are adopted as food by the inhabitants of countries in which they are found. The American Indians often regale themselves on RATTLE-SNAKES (Crotalus horridus), skinning and eating them as we do eels. The |
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