building near the tank, where the green moray--a sort of big eel--was
lying half in and half out of a piece of sewer pipe put in his tank to
make him feel more at home. "There are the big turtles," and Mr.
Bobbsey lifted Flossie up over the rail so she could look down more
easily.

There were some very large turtles in the tank, swimming by moving their
broad flippers. Sometimes they would swim about close to the white tiled
bottom of the tank, but the water was clear, so they could be seen easily.
Again the turtles would rise to the top, so that their big, hard shells
were out of water, like a raft which the boys build to play with when the
city's vacant lots or country meadows are flooded in the Spring.

In one end of the tank was a big turtle--the largest of all--swimming by
himself, and overhead, hung by a wire from the room, was a stuffed one,
larger yet. This, so a sign near it said, was a "leather-back turtle," and
when alive had weighed eight hundred and fifty pounds.

"Whew!" whistled Bert, looking at the big, stuffed fellow. "He could swim
around with two or three boys on _his_ back."

"I'd like to have had a ride on him," cried Freddie. "But this one is
pretty big, too!" and he pointed down at the large swimming turtle, which,
just then, stuck his head up out of the water. He seemed to be nearly a
yard long and almost as broad.

"Oh!" screamed Flossie, as she saw the big turtle so close to her. "Can he
get out of the water, Daddy?"

"No, indeed," laughed Mr. Bobbsey.