The Turtle (Tolstoy)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The hunting expedition and turtle encounter
The narrator went hunting with his dog Milton near a forest. Milton began searching for prey, straightening his tail, pricking his ears, and sniffing the air. The narrator fixed his gun and followed, expecting Milton to hunt for partridge, hare, or pheasant. However, Milton headed toward the field rather than the forest.
Following Milton, the narrator suddenly saw what the dog was pursuing. A small turtle, about the size of a cap, was running ahead of them.
Its bare, dark gray head on a long neck was stretched out like a pestle; the turtle in walking stretched its bare legs far out, and its back was all covered with bark.
When the turtle saw the dog approaching, it quickly hid its legs and head, letting itself down on the grass so that only its shell remained visible. Milton grabbed the turtle and began biting at it, but could not penetrate its protective shell. The turtle possessed the same hard shell on its belly as on its back, with only small openings at the front, back, and sides where it could extend its head, legs, and tail.
The narrator took the turtle away from Milton to examine its painted back and shell structure, observing how it concealed itself. When he held it and looked between the shell openings, he could see something black and alive inside, resembling the interior of a cellar. After his examination, he threw the turtle away and continued walking, but Milton refused to abandon his prize and carried it behind him in his teeth.
Turtle varieties, habitats and reproduction
Milton's persistence with the turtle led to an unexpected consequence.
Suddenly Milton whimpered and dropped it. The turtle had put forth its foot inside of his mouth, and had scratched it.
This made Milton so angry that he began barking. He grasped the turtle once more and carried it behind the narrator. Despite orders to throw it away, Milton paid no attention. When the narrator took the turtle from him and threw it away again, Milton still would not leave it alone.
He hurriedly dug a hole near it; when the hole was dug, he threw the turtle into it and covered it up with dirt.
Turtles lived both on land and in water, similar to snakes and frogs. They reproduced by laying eggs on the ground, but unlike birds, they did not incubate these eggs. Instead, the eggs burst by themselves, like fish spawn, and young turtles crawled out independently. The size of turtles varied dramatically.
There are small turtles, not larger than a saucer, and large ones, seven feet in length and weighing seven hundredweights.
The largest turtles inhabited the sea. During spring, a single turtle could lay hundreds of eggs, ensuring the continuation of their species through this prolific reproductive method.
The turtle's reproductive cycle demonstrated nature's efficiency, as the eggs developed without parental care, hatching when conditions were favorable for the young turtles' survival.
Turtle anatomy and shell structure
The turtle's shell represented one of nature's most remarkable anatomical adaptations. Unlike other animals, the turtle's protective covering was actually formed by its ribs. While humans and other animals had separate ribs, the turtle's ribs had grown together to form a unified shell structure.
This anatomical arrangement created a fundamental difference between turtles and all other creatures. The most significant distinction was the positioning of the ribs relative to the flesh.
But the main thing is that with all the animals the ribs are inside the flesh, while the turtle has the ribs on the outside, and the flesh beneath them.
This unique evolutionary adaptation provided turtles with unparalleled protection from predators like Milton, whose teeth could not penetrate the hardened shell. The turtle's ability to retract its vulnerable parts into this bony fortress made it nearly invulnerable when threatened, explaining why Milton's hunting instincts were ultimately frustrated by this ancient defensive mechanism that had evolved over millions of years.