Page:Natural History, Reptiles.djvu/32

24 (Trionyx spiniferus, ) inhabits the great lakes, and many of the rivers of that continent. It is a ferocious tyrant of the waters, devouring ducks and other fowl, the young of alligators, and fishes, with great voracity. It attains a large size.

Pennant mentions some which weighed seventy pounds; one which he kept for three months weighed twenty pounds, and the buckler or carapace of this specimen was twenty inches in length, while the neck and head measured thirteen inches and a half more. The upper parts vary in tint, being brown or grey of various shades, irregularly marbled, and frequently studded with dots: the under surface is whitish, or of the same tint as the human nails.

Towards the end of April or May, according to M. Lesueur, the females of this species crawl out of the rivers, for the purpose of seeking out places suitable for the deposition of their eggs. Sandy spots exposed to the sun are chosen, and