TURTLE

one-man submarine, the first to be put to military use, built and designed by the American inventor David Bushnell (q.v.) in 1775 for use against British warships. The pear-shaped vessel, made of oak reinforced with iron bands, measured about 2.3 m (7.5 feet) long by 1.8 m (6 feet) wide. It was equipped with a mine that was to be attached to the hull of an enemy ship. In 1776, in New York harbour, the Turtle tried to sink the British warship HMS Eagle but failed; none of its succeeding missions was successful. Additional reading G.A. Boulenger, Catalogue of the Chelonians, Rhynchocephalians, and Crocodiles in the British Museum (Natural History), new ed. (1889), an early standard description of the turtles of the world; A.F. Carr, Handbook of Turtles: The Turtles of the United States, Canada, and Baja California (1952, reissued 1989), a detailed account including copious notes on habits, and So Excellent a Fishe: A Natural History of Sea Turtles (1967, reissued 1984), a readable account of Carr's study of the living green turtle; E.H. Colbert and M. Morales, Evolution of the Vertebrates: A History of the Backboned Animals Through Time, 4th ed. (1991), an authoritative work by a specialist who writes simply and clearly; Roger Conant and Joseph T. Collins, A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America, 3rd ed. (1991), a useful field guide with illustrations of virtually all species and subspecies, as well as 248 distribution maps; P.E.P. Deraniyagala, The Tetrapod Reptiles of Ceylon, vol. 1, Testudinates and Crocodilians (1939), the biology of many Asian turtles; J.A. Oliver, The Natural History of North American Amphibians and Reptiles (1955), a good book for the general reader; J.J. Parsons, The Green Turtle and Man (1962), a fascinating history of the exploitation of the green turtle; C.H. Pope, The Reptiles of China (1935), descriptions of many Asiatic forms, and Turtles of the United States and Canada (1939, reissued 1971), profusely illustrated with excellent photographs; P.C.H. Pritchard, Living Turtles of the World (1967), a brief but complete guide with many illustrations in colour; A.S. Romer, Osteology of the Reptiles (1956), an authoritative classification of reptiles, and Vertebrate Paleontology, 3rd ed., (1966), containing a good summary of chelonian fossil history; N. de Rooij, The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, vol. 1, Lacertilia, Chelonia, Emydosauria (1915, reprinted 1970), a classic work on Australasian reptiles; H.M. Smith and E.H. Taylor, Herpetology of Mexico: Annotated Checklists and Keys to the Amphibians and Reptiles (1966), identification of Mexican reptiles; M.A. Smith, Reptilia and Amphibia, vol. 1, Loricata, Testudines in the Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma (1931, reprinted 1974), account of a rich turtle fauna by a leading specialist; J. de Carle Sowerby and E. Lear, Tortoises, Terrapins, and Turtles (1872), an old work with many magnificent coloured illustrations made from life; H. Wermuth and R. Mertens, Schildkrten, Krokodile, Brckenechsen (1961), with descriptions of living turtles and many illustrations; E. Worrell, Reptiles of Australia, 2nd ed. (1970), contains accounts of the habits of many Australian turtles; Jack J. Rudloe, Time of the Turtle (1979, reissued 1989), a study of sea turtles with emphasis on their conservation.