CATALOGUE OF SHIELD REPTILES. 



B. The last vertebral generally only as loide as the caudal 

 and half of each of the hinder marginal shields. 

 Confined to the Old World. 



Testudo B, Gh-ay, Cat. Rept. B.M. 6. 



a. Indian. 

 3. Testudo Indica. The Indian Tortoise. 

 Black ; pectoral shields short ; nuchal plates variable or 

 wanting ; animal black ; last vertebral often as broad as the 

 last three marginal. 



Testudo Indica, Gmelin, S. N. 



Gray, Syn. 9 ; Cat. Rej)t. B.M. 5 ; Cat. Zool. Soc. 

 40. fig. 9. 

 Chersina retusa, Merrem, Tetit. 



T. Elephantopus, Harlan, J. Acad. Phil. iii. 284. t. 9. 

 T. nigra, Qi'oy, Voy. Uran. t. 40. 



Duin. ^ Bib. Erp. Ghi. ii. 115 ; Cat. Mith. R. 5. 

 T. Californica, Quoy, Bnll. Sci. 

 T. Dussuniieri, Schleyel, Mvs. Leyd. i. 



Pet. Gaz. t. 76. f. A. 

 T. gigantea, Schioeiy. Arch. Kcenigsb. i. 327. 



Dum. ^- Bib. Erp. Gen. ii. 120; Cat. Meth. R. 5. 



Schoepf. Hist. Testudinum, t. 22. 



Shaw, Zool. t. 3. 



Wieymann, Bon. Trans, t. 13. 

 T. Vosmaeri, Fitz. Cat. 44. 



Dum. ^ Bib. Erp. Gen. ii. 140 ; Cat. Mith. R. 6. 

 T. nigrita, Bum. ^- Bib. Erp. Gin. ii. 81. 

 T. Daudinii, Bum. S,- Bib. Erp. Gin. ii. 125 ; Cat. Meth. 



R. 5. 

 T. Elephantina, Dum. ^- Bib. Erp. G4n. ii. 110; Cat. 



Meth. R.b. 

 T. Perraultii,I>Mm.^.Bii..E'rp.G^n.ii.l26; Cat.Mith.R.o. 

 La ronde, Lacep. Quad. Ovip. i. 126. t. 5. 

 T. orbicularis, Bechst. in Lacep. i. 154. 

 T. rotunda, Latr. Rept. i. 107. 



T. Peltastes, Dum. S/- Bib. Erp. Gen.u. 138; Cat. MM. R. 5. 

 Chersina (Cylindraspis) Vosmaeri, Fitz. Syst. Rept. 29 



(1843). 

 Testudo (Megalochelys) gigantea, Fitz. Syst. Rept. 29. 



Hab. Isle of France ; Seychelles ; Isle Angouan ; India ; 

 California ; Galapagos. 



m. Adult (stulfed). 

 ;'. Adult animal and shell ; 23 inches. 

 /. Half-grown (stuffed). 

 /. Young (stuifed) ; 7 inches. Nuchal plate none. 



ff. Young (stuffed) ; feet bad ; 6 inches. Nuchal plate 



none. 

 i. Very young (stuffed) ; 4i inches. Whitish ; nuchal 



plate none ; nucleus of plates dark. 

 d. Very young (stuffed) ; 4 inches. Nuchal ])late distinct. 



Last vertebral narrower than the last three marginal. 



Bengal. Presented by General J. Hardwicke. 



Osteology. Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 176. t. 11. f. 17, 20, 



skull. 

 h. Upper shell only, very large and broad. Presented by 

 E. Cross, Esq. 



a. Adult (shell only) ; 32 inches. Nuchal plate ; not a 



good state. 



c. Adult ; 2 1 inches. Nuchal plate distinct. 



e. Young (shell only) ; 14 inches. Nuchal plate di- 

 stinct. 



h. Young (shell only); 5^ inches. Nuchal plate none; 

 nucleus of marginal and gular plates pale. 



b. Very young (only upper part of shell) ; 4 inches. No 



nuchal plate. Presented by J. E. Gray, Esq. 



n. Skeleton; adult. India? Presented by Her Majesty. 



o. Skeleton ; half-grown. India. Mr. Bartlett's Collec- 

 tion. 



p. Skeleton ; half-grown. 



q. Skull. India. Dr. Mantell's Collection. 



r. Monstrosity. Dorsal shields and the bones beneath them 

 very convex, concave within. India. Mus. Zoological 

 Society. 



Var. Elongate, compressed on the sides, and turned up at 



the edge. 

 Testudo Vosmaeri, Fitz. 



s. Adult (stuffed). India? Presented by the Earl of 

 Derby. 



Testudo Indica. — The skull in the Museum Collection, 

 and the one figured by Cuvier, t. 1 1 . f. 1 7-20, have a veiy 

 convex forehead. 



4. Testudo planiceps. The Flat-headed Tortoise. 

 Tab. XXXIV. 



Skull much depressed, flat; forehead flat, rapidly shelving 

 towards the nose-cavity. 



Testudo planiceps. Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1853; Ann. ^ 

 Mag. N.H. 1855, 153. 



Hab. Galapagos ? 



This species is only known by the skull. The fol- 

 lowing are the descriptions and measurements of a skull 

 of T. Indica and T. planiceps of nearly the same dimen- 

 sions. 



Testudo Indica. — Skull high, convex ; forehead convex, 

 rounded to the nose-cavity, broad between the eyes ; tem- 

 ples 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, con- 

 tracted on each side above. Palate broad, oblong, very 

 deeply concave, and with concave converging sides in front. 

 Sphenoid bone deeply concave beneath under the condyle ; 

 lower jaws narrowed and rounded in front, not more than 

 half as hieh as behind. 



