TURTLES AND TORTOISES 41 



remains show these creatures to have formerly inhabited 

 the continents. In the larger zoological gardens of 

 Europe and America are numerous living examples; the 

 greater number are from the Galapagos Islands. 



During the past twelve years several expeditions have 

 visited the Galapagos Islands for the purpose of collect- 

 ing tortoises. The first specimens to arrive in this coun- 

 try were brought by the U. S. S. Albatross, which 

 visited the islands in 1888; eighteen examples were 

 shipped to Washington, D. C. In 1897, the Hon. Wal- 

 ter Rothschild arranged an expedition to the Gala- 

 pagos Islands. It resulted in a total cost of $15,000. 

 Fifty-nine tortoises were captured. Mr. Rothschild dis- 

 tributed the tortoises among the zoological gardens of 

 Europe. He dispatched another expedition in 1900 and 

 twenty tortoises were collected, but the trip across the 

 United States proved disastrous; all but six of these 

 specimens died. A fine lot of tortoises arrived in San 

 Francisco early in 1901, brought there by Capt. William 

 Johnson. Mr. F. B. Webster purchased the entire lot, 

 shipping them east to his place at Hyde Park, Mas- 

 sachusetts. Five examples were purchased by the New 

 York Zoological Society; six were sold to Mr. Roth- 

 schild and two to Count Peracca, in Italy; the others 

 were bought by various zoological institutions. The 

 members of this expedition claimed to have brought the 

 last survivors of the tortoise colony. It is probable, how- 

 ever, that a small number yet exists in the interior of 

 most of the larger islands. 



Testudo vicina, of the Galapagos Islands, appears to 

 be the largest of the New World species. An example 

 in the New York Zoological Park weighs 310 pounds; 

 its length of shell, on the curve, is 4 feet, 3 inches, and 

 the height of the shell, 20 inches. A specimen of sim- 



