Page:Natural History, Reptiles.djvu/17

Rh as in other vertebrate animals, are all within, as are also the bones of the pelvis, and even the muscles of the thighs; so that a Tortoise has been described as an animal turned inside out. The

jaws are destitute of teeth, but are invested with horn like those of birds, and form in fact a powerful beak. The head, neck, tail, and limbs, are clothed with a tough skin, in which are imbeddedembedded [sic] plates, either connected or detached.

The sphere of action of the Testudinata is either the land or the water. Of those which are aquatic, some inhabit marshes, pools, and rivers; others are exclusively marine. The walk of the terrestrial species is slow, even to a proverb; the legs are short, restricted in motion, and being placed at a distance from the centre, they form a sort of short crutches, able to drag the unwieldy