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NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXII. 1H15. 403 



THE GIANT LAND TORTOISES OF THE GALAPAGOS 

 ISLANDS IN THE TRING MUSEUM. 



By lord ROTHSCHILD, F.R.S., Ph.D. 

 (Plates XXI.—XXXII.) 



DR. VAN DENBURGH'S monogra,ph on these tortoises, in the Proceedings 

 of the California Acachmjj of Sciences, vol. ii. 1914, is so exhaustive that 

 in enumerating the series in the Tring Museum it woald be only reiteration to 

 write long descriptive accounts. Therefore I am contenting myself with giving 

 the measurements of each specimen and a few notes to supplement Dr. Van 

 Denburgh's work. The measurements given are in inches and decimals, and are 

 those employed by Dr. Van Denbnrgh ; viz. the " straight length," taken between 

 two uprights at the nuchal notch and the end of the supracaudal plate respectively ; 

 the " straight width," taken between uprights on each side between the second and 

 third costal plates ; the " length over curve," taken with a tape measure from 

 nuchal notch over centre of vertebral scntes to end of supracaudal plate ; the 

 " width over curve," taken with a tape measure from bend of marginals above 

 centre of ])]astral bridge over third vertebral scute to opposite bend of marginals ; 

 "width between second and third marginals"; the "straight width" between 

 verticals placed at the suture between second and third marginal plates on each 

 side of nuchal notch ; the " middle height," being vertical distance between table 

 or board and the centre of third vertebral plate, taken with a sliding square and 

 a spirit level ; the "front height" is taken at nuchal notch in the same manner ; 

 the " height to marginals " is from the table to lower edge of marginals taken with 

 a pair of compasses ; and the " length of plastron " is measured straight from 

 fore to hind notch with a tape measure. In addition to the tortoises mentioned 

 in this enumeration, the Tring Museum possesses alive one Testudo ephippian, 

 collected by Captain Noyes ; one Testudo galapagoensis which was procured on the 

 Sandwich Islands, and one Testudo ? nigrita also from the Sandwich Islands. These 

 latter are said to have been taken there by Captain Meek, of the Boston Eagle, 

 about 1812. The Tring Museum also possesses the casts of the Scarborough 

 Testudo galapagoensis, and casts of the <S types and ? ? of Testudo hoodensis and 

 Testudo chathamensis, of the S type and ? of Testudo darwini, and S type Testudo 

 pkantastica, and of a <? identified as Testudo wallacei ; and of a ? Testudo ? 

 from Cowley Mountain ; the originals of these latter being in the museum of the 

 California Academy of Sciences. The cast of the type specimen of Testudo nigrita 

 is also at Tring, the original being in the Royal College of Surgeons Hunterian 

 Museum. The collection contains in all 138 dead and 3 living specimens of 11 

 species or races ont of the 14 known from entire specimens ; the Barrington race 

 is known only from a few bones. 



Testudo abingdonii Giinth. 

 (Plates XXI., XXII.) 



Testudn ah'mgdonii GUnther, Proc, Znol: Soc. Loud. 1877, p. Olj (Abingdon Island). 



The (J and ? were obtained on Abingdon Island by R. H. Beck in the first 

 half of 1901. 



The S is a very old individual, with front three pairs of marginal plates much 

 worn and chipped. 



The ?, which is the only ? known, is a much younger animal, though fully 



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