The Testudinata include the Tortoise, and Turtle kind. They are remarkable for their horny covering (carapace) which forms a sort of shell, out of openings in which, their head, tail, and legs protrude; they have short feet, covered with scales, and no teeth, but the edges of the maxillary bones are sharp, like the edge of a knife, and they bite out pieces from vegetable substances with ease. Some of this class (the Turtles) are residents of the water, and grow to a great size, weighing fourteen or fifteen hundred pounds, and measuring seven or eight feet long. Others are much esteemed as food, especially the green Turtle. Dr. Baird, in his Cyclopædia of the Natural Sciences, under the article "Chelonia," gives a good description of these creatures, from which the following is extracted:-- [Illustration: FIG. 50.--TURTLE (Chelonia viridis).] "The Green Turtle (Chelonia viridis, or midas, fig. 50) is five or six feet long, and weighs from seven to eight hundred pounds. It is principally found in the Atlantic Ocean, and is often met with seven or eight hundred leagues from land. They are easily caught when asleep on the surface of the water, to which they come to breathe. In the West Indies, the Bahama Islands, and the Island of Ascension, the capture of Turtles gives employment to many people, and affords food for thousands. "The Hawk's-bill Turtle (Caretha imbricata) is a smaller species, scarcely ever exceeding two hundred pounds' weight, and is a native of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The flesh is not good, but the shells, which are formed of a considerable number of scales overlapping each other at their extremities, in the manner of tiles on the roof of a building, are of great importance as an article of commerce, and are much superior to that of any other species. It is extensively used in the manufacture of combs, snuff-boxes, &c., also for inlaying, and other ornamental work. [Illustration: FIG. 51.--TORTOISE (Testudo sulcata).] "In the family of land Tortoises (fig. 51), the feet are club-shaped, and their habits are terrestrial. The shell is very solid, thick, ovate, and (in the adult state) covered with horny concentrically-grooved shields, marked with a permanent areola. They have a short thick tail, are very slow in their motion, and live upon vegetables and roots. Most of the species are natives of the warm regions of the globe, but those that live in colder regions burrow and sleep during the winter. They are quiet, inoffensive animals, extremely tenacious of life, and remarkable for longevity. Individuals are stated upon good authority to have lived upwards of two hundred years.