Dr. J. E. Gray on a new species of Tortoise. 



135 



tongue free on the side, and is nearly allied to the genus Plethodon : 

 the palatine teeth are very indistinct, not forming a regular ridge. 



Description of a New Species of Tortoise (Testudo 



PLANICEPS), from THE GaLAPAGOS IsLANDS. 



By J. E. Gray, Ph.D., F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., P.B.S. etc. 



After the examination of the specimens of the large Black Tor- 

 toise {Testudo Indica) in the various English and continental col- 

 lections, including the specimens which had served Schweiger, Schle- 

 gel, Fitzinger, Dumeril and Bibron, and others, as the types of spe- 

 cies, I placed them all in the * Catalogue of the Tortoises, Croco- 

 diles and Amphisbsenians in the Collection of the British Museum,' 

 as varieties of a single, very variable species, which had been scat- 

 tered by man in different tropical parts of the globe. I see no cause 

 to change my opinion with respect to the head now about to be de- 

 scribed, even should it prove to be that of a black species, which is 

 possible, as the black species is the only one known which has any 

 affinity to it in point of size. The skull now described was sent to 

 Haslar Hospital, and said to have been taken from a specimen brought 

 from the Galapagos Islands. The Black Tortoise of those islands has 

 been described by Dr. Harlan under the name of Testudo elephan- 

 topus ; but his figure and description so exactly agree with the adult 

 Testudo Indica, and the specimen in the Gardens of the Zoological 

 Society brought from the Galapagos Islands, is so exactly similar to 

 the specimen of Testudo Indica from the Mauritius, that I cannot 

 think that the usual Galapagos Tortoise is different from that spe- 

 cies, or like the skull here noticed. I therefore propose to designate 

 this species by the provisional name of Testudo planiceps. The fol- 

 lowing comparative statement of the characters presented by this 

 skull and that of T. Indica, will show the differences which exist be- 

 tween them. 



Testudo Indica. 



Skull high, convex. 



Forehead convex, rounded to the 



nose-cavity ; broad between the 



eyes. 

 Temples flat behind. 



Cheeks small, four-sided. 



Edge of the jaw between the nose- 

 cavity and the mouth narrow 

 and rounded. 



Nose-cavity oblong, nearly twice 

 as high as broad, contracted on 

 each side above. 



Palate broad, oblong, very deeply 

 concave, and with concave con- 

 verging sides in front. 



Testudo planiceps. 



Skull much-depressed, flat. 



Forehead flat, with a rapid de- 

 clivity towards the nose-cavity ; 

 narrow between the eyes. 



Temples produced, bent in be- 

 hind. 



Cheeks large, subtrigonal. 



Edge of the jaw between the nose- 

 cavity and the mouth high and 

 erect. 



Nose-cavity nearly square, scarce- 

 ly higher than broad, and very 

 little contracted above. 



Palate narrow, nearly lozenge- 

 shaped, truncated behind, rather 

 deeply concave, with straight 

 converging sides in front. 



