( 483 ) 



FUETHEE NOTES ON GIGANTIC LAND TOETOISES. 



By THK HUN. WALTER ROTHSCHILD. 



IN continuation of my former two articles on the subject in Vol. I. of this 

 journal, I have some very interesting facts to make known. In June last 

 I received from Mr. Grifhths, formerly Governor of the Seychelles Islands, two 

 gigantic land tortoises, besides the very large one received two years ago. I did 

 not examine these two tortoises very closely, for I had repeatedly been told by 

 Dr. Giinther that all the tortoises on the Seychelles had been brought there from 

 Aldabra, and probably consisted of one species only, Testudo elephantiivt. However, 

 on August 18th, Dr. Giinther examined the three living tortoises with me, and we 

 discovered, to my great astonishment, that the .'■mallest of the three had no 

 nuchal plate. Dr. Giinther immediately remarked it must be a Galapagos tortoise, 

 but on my assuring him it came from the Seychelles, we went and looked up 

 the book on Gujantic Land Tortoises published by the British IMuseum. From 

 this hook it at once liecame clear that my tortoise belongs to the Mascarene race, 

 and is very near to Testudo indica Dum. The only other living specimen of the 

 Mascarene race of tortoises is the famous Mauritius tortoise figured and discussed in 

 NoviTATES ZooLOUlCAE, Vol. I. Pi. XI. pp. G70 and 690. This tortoise, however, 

 has been proved to be a distinct species from Testudo indica, and was described, 

 as mentioned before liy me, under the name of Testtido sumeirei. It is, therefore, 

 most unwise to maintain during the life of my specimen that it is identical with 

 any one of the named forms of the JNlascarene race, for it is more than probable 

 that it was brought from one of the smaller outlying islands and will prove to be yet 

 another undescribed species. In either case, however, it is of the utmost interest 

 to find another living example of the JNlascarene races of gigantic land tortoises, 

 which up to five or six years ago were supposed to be entirely extinct. 



The large male of Testudo elephaniina, the dimensions of which are given in 

 Vol. I. p. 676, continues to grow. On August lOth. 1895, its weight was 360 lbs. 

 Length from nuchal plate to extremity of carapace in a .-traight line 41 inches, 

 from nuchal plate to end of carapace over curve o3i inches; width J6 inches. This 

 means an increase of 33 lbs. in weight, '2. inches in length, lA inches over the back, 

 and 4 inches in width. 



