New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-15

nc tho cIciIfan eagle was trying TO do when ne
dropped the tortoise the skull OF Iischy !ms,
But when n tortoise grows 10 WeIsnt vi -
pounds there is no living animal when coulu
njure ii in any way. AS 1t can SWIM 1t cali'i ~,
drown: its limbs are so constructor as " po
little liable to fracture, and It's interior - ~ "a
ranged that it can fast for long pciiou9' a'i ~
has an internal reservoir of water, thouSH IL 10
naturally rather a thirsty animal Charles oar
win, when among the giant tortolscs Oh thc
Galapagos Islands saw the newly hatched youns
carried off by buzzards and carrion htWhS' oue
the full-grown animals OF 2oo pounds Wei iIo
seemed beyond the chance OF any DANGER nc
surmsed that their deaths, when such TOOK
place were only due to accident, sucn as ldn-
ing over precpicos, and inhabitants OF the
islands corroboratcd this conclusion.
A PLACID HABIT.
Being built to last" the tortoise's habits and
character have to conform in some sort TO the
limitations set by its form. Ii is not tempted 10
waste energy in useless motion. ON the other
hama the disposition of the land tortoises Is
eminently placid. This is by no means an III III
separabe accompaniment of slow ana soliuiy
built reptiles. TOads, for example, nave oledu
full tempers which induce them to iight Datties
On dusty roads and lose their lives uhtiiiey.
Then there is a huge fat frog III ; ,hinh
which can only hop an inch at time, but Which
is so irritable that he positively barks with fury,
and amosts bursts in his endeavors to come 10
close quarters and bite. But the tortoise leads
The life Of tranquility on the carpet or pru-
dence," and neither wears out nor rus russ
out" Yet they are less apath"tc than might
be supposed from the habits of the small species
kept in English gardens. on the Galapagos
Islands Darwin found that the giant tOrtolses
5ere really not only the "odest inhabitants'
tut the representative creatures of the archl-
,elago They living their own life very
,luch at their ease: but this was not quite
as devoid Of incident one might imagine
Both food and water are more common on the
higher parts OF the islands-which are extinct
vOlcanoes-than near the coast Fresh water
indeed. is only found up in the hills and as the
tOrtoises are very fond Of water they nave 10
make long and uphill journeys to reach IT, Ihey
make broad and we-beaten paths from the
coast to the springs. and it was by following
the tortOises roads that the SpaniardS hrst
found the springs they needed to water the
ships. when | landed at Chatham Island,
writes Mr. Darwin, Il could not imagine what
animal travelled so methOdically along the we'll
chosen tracks. Near the springs it was Curl
Gus spectacle to behold many Of these great
monsters-One set eagerly travelling onward
with outstretched necks. and another set re-
turning after having drunk their fill When the
tortoise arrives at a spring. quite regardless or
any spectator it bures its head in the water
above its eyes, and greedily swallows great
mouthfuls at the rate Of ten minute" On
the dry lower ground the explorer found the
giant tOrtoises munchng up a Succuent cactus
on the higher ground they ate leaves, fallen
berries and lichen.