The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-04-22
TURTLES LIVE 400 YEARS
EvoLUTIoNIsTs CAN TELL US
NOTHING OF THEIR ORIGIN.
Some That Weigh a Ton-Facts About
Only Animal Who Needs No Strong
Backbone-WeII Developed Senses,
Theirs-Eggs Hatch by Themselves.

A turtle. waddling his solitary way
along some water course. attracts lit
tie interest outside of his clumsy, gro
tesque shape, yet few who look upon
him are able to give, OFF hand, even n
bare half dozen facts about this hum.
BILE creature. And IL they could give
any, their information would be limit
ed to two or three usages his body is
put to-soup and mandolin picks
also combs.
There are about two hundred differ
ent kinds of turtles. and they live in
all parts OF the world. except in very
cold countries. Australia has the few
est, and North and Central America
the greatest number of species. Evo-
lutionists can tell us nothing of their
origin, for as far back in geological
ages as they are found fossil Ia mat
ter of little over ten million years.,
all are true turtles. not half turtles
and half something else. Crocodiles
and alllgators, with their hard. leath-
cry coats, come as near to them as
any living creature, and when We see
a huge swapping turtle come out of the
water, and walk about on land we can
not but be reminded of the fenow with
the armourer back.
Turtles are found on the sea and on
the land, the marine forms deserving
the name of turtles. more properly;
tortoises being those living on land or
in fresh water. but we will use the
name, turtles, as significant of the
whole class. The most natural way of
classifying these CT features is by the
way the head and neck are drawn
back under the shell; whether the
head is turned to one side. or drawn
straight back. bonding the neck into
letter S shape.
The skull of the turtle is massive
and some have thick false roofs on top
of the usual brain box.
The house" or shell of q turtle is
made up Of separate pieces of bone, a
central row along the back, and others
arranged around on both sides. These
are really pieces of the skin Of the
back changed to bone. Our ribs are
directly under the skin of the back,
and il this skin should harden into a
bonelile substance, the ribs would lie
fiat against it, and this is the case
with the ribs of turtles. SO when we
marvel that the ribs of turtle are on
the outside of its body, a second
thought will show that this is Just as
true of us as of these reptiles.
This hardening of the skin has
brought about some interesting chang.
es in the body of the turtle. In all the
higher animals from fishes up to man
backbone is of the greatest impor-
tance. not only to carry the nerves and
blood vessels, but to support the en-
tire body. In turtles alone the string
of vertebrae is unnecessary, the shell
giving all the support needed. SO as
nature seldom allows unused tissues
or organs to remain, these bones along
the back become, in many species. re-
duced to mere thread.
The pieces of bone or horn which
go to make up the shell, although so
different in appearance from skin, yet
nave luc same lllt piONtoStos ottd-
sionally it moults or peels, the outer
part coming off in great flakes. Each
piece grows by the addition of rings
of horn at the joints. and Qike the
rings of tree) the age of turtles. ex-
cept very old ones, can be told by the
number of circles Of horn on each
piece. The rings are very distinct in
species which live in temperate eli
mates. Here they are compelled to
hibernate during the winter, and this
cessation of growth marks the inter-
vals between each ring. In tropical
turtles the rings are absent or indis-
tinct. It is to this mode of growth
that the spreading OF initials which
are cut into the shell is due, just as
letters carved on the trunks of trees
in time broaden and bulge outward.
The shell has the power of regen-
GRAFTON, and when a portion is torn
away or crushed the injured parts are
gradually cast off. and from the sur
rounding edges, new covering of
horn grows out. One-third of the en-
tire shell has been known to be thus
replaced.
Although so slow is their locomotion
and actions, turtles have well-devel-
oped senses. They can see very dis
tinctly, and the power of smell is es-
pecially acute. certain turtles being
very discriminating in the matter Of,
their good. They are very sensitive to
touch, and will react TO the least tap
on their shell. Their hearing is more
imperfect. but as they have tiny pip
ing voices during the mating season,
this sense must be of some use.
Water tortoises can remain beneath
the surface for hours and even days,
at time In addition to the lungs,
there are two small sacs near the tail
which allow the animal to use the
oxygen in the water as an aid in
breathing.
All turtles lay eggs. the shells of
which are white and generally of
parchment Ike character. They are de-
posted in thu ground or In sand, and