TCD MS 10516 folio 64 recto
[12th October 1916] a much more timid creature; it prefers to remain in mid-stream and, at regular intervals, come to the surface for air; it seldom seeks the shore, unless it can find a secluded bank where, free from disturbance, it can sun itself in peace. The head of this large tortoise peeping above the surface of the water gave it a formidable appearance. Officers feared the animal and orders were issued to the troops pointing out the danger of bathing in the river. The alarm originated by one man reporting at hospital with the distal joint of one thumb cut cleanly off. He stated that he was bathing and that a tortoise seized him by the thumb, nipping it clean away. His tale was accepted and the tortoises were condemned as dan-