THE GIANT TORTOISE 115 



island until the morning, when a boat was sent 

 from the shore to pilot us to a much safer and 

 better spot, not far from the settlement. 



Aldabra is the home of a huge tortoise,* which 

 was at one time fairly abundant, but is now con- 

 fined to a small area on the northern side. So 

 difficult is it to get to this locality that we were 

 unable to see the tortoises in their wild state. 

 The Hon. Walter Rothschild rents the island of 

 Aldabra from the British Government and 

 protects the tortoises as well as a peculiar species 

 of ibis, so that it is to be hoped that these 

 interesting creatures may long hold their own. 



A great part of the leeward side has lately been 

 planted with cocoanuts, which are now growing 

 on nearly every patch of sand above high-water 

 mark. The settlement is composed of a few wooden 

 huts, inhabited by negroes, who, under the super- 

 vision of an overseer, work in the cocoanut 

 plantations and at turtle-catching and curing. 

 Near the houses grow casuarina trees, with their 

 beautiful feathery foliage ; they seem to be 

 the tallest trees on the island, the greater part of 

 the vegetation being a thick scrub, relieved oc- 

 casionally by groups of trees of a species of 

 Ficus and a few pandani or screw-pines. 



In several parts of the island there are pools 

 of fresh water, but, like those on Assumption, 

 they seem to be dependent for their supply on the 



* Testudo elephantina. 



