A Second, And Much Smaller Kind, Which They Call Tenopen,[153] Is Somewhat Rounder, But Not Unlike In Other Respects, Except That Their Back Shells Are Naturally Covered With Curious Carved Work.

The tortoises in the Gallapagos isles resembles the Hackatee, having long necks and small heads, but are much larger.

[Footnote 153: This word in the text is probably a misprint for Terrapin, a trivial name for a species of land or fresh-water tortoise, found also in the warmer parts of North America - E.]

In these islands there are also some green snakes, and great numbers of remarkably tame turtle-doves, very fat, and excellent eating. There are large channels between some of these islands, capable of receiving ships of moderate burden. On the shoals there grows great abundance of sea-weed, called turtle-grass, owing to which these channels abound in green turtles or sea-tortoises. There are several kinds of turtles or sea-tortoises, as the Trunk, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, and Green turtles. The first is larger than the rest, and has a rounder and higher back shell, but is neither so wholesome nor so well tasted; and the same may be said of the Loggerhead, which feeds on moss from the rocks, and has its name from its large head. The Hawksbill, so named from having a long small mouth, like the beak of a hawk, is the smallest species, and is that which produces the so-much-admired tortoise-shell, of which cabinets, boxes, combs, and other things are made in Europe, and of this shell each has from three to four pounds, though some have less.

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