"Be careful!" cried Nan, as Flossie leaned well over the edge to get a
better look at the sea lion. "You might fall in."
"She could get a ride on his back if she did," said Freddie.
"Well, I'm not going to!" exclaimed Flossie, drawing back, a little
frightened, as the seal splashed the water right under her, some drops
going in her face.
They watched the seal for a while, went over to the other tanks, where
some sturgeon and other big fish swam about, and then Freddie called:
"I want to see the big turtles! Where are they?"
"Over here," said Mr. Bobbsey, leading the way toward the south end of the
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.
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