200 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



/. Testudo smithii, Boulenger, 1886. 



Boulenger established this species in 1886 upon a single specimen 

 with the rather indefinite locality " South Africa." He distinguishes 

 it from verreaiixii mainly by the presence of the large femoral 

 tubercle, but as it is practically certain that verreauxii possessed 

 these structures, the distinction can no longer hold, and there appears 

 no other valid character which can separate them. Boulenger's figures 

 of the upper and lower aspects of the shell present conditions 

 frequently occurring within the verreauxii sub-group. 



Siebenrock identifies four shells from Great Namaqualand as 

 this species, distinguishing them from verreauxii by differences in 

 coloration ; in the latter yellow and red rays occur, while in smithii 

 there are only yellow rays ; differences in the relative sizes of the 

 shields are also noted. None of these characters can be regarded as 

 of specific value, now that we know how very variable are the 

 members of the geometrica-gvoup. 



Neither Boulenger nor Siebenrock, in my opinion, produces 

 characters which would serve to separate smithii from the many 

 varietal forms of verreauxii obtained from a single locality ; none 

 of the characters are sufficiently definite to indicate a new type, or 

 an extreme modification in any direction. 



g. Testudo fiskii, Boulenger, 1886. 



This is another species which Boulenger founded upon a single 

 specimen. Fortunately, in this case the exact locality from which it 

 was obtained, namely, De Aar, not far from Hopetown, is known. 

 The District of Hanover, whence came one large collection of over a 

 hundred verreauxii, includes the town of De Aar, and' I have also 

 secured, through Mr. Cronwright Schreiner, 20 specimens from De 

 Aar itself. Among them are many exactly corresponding with the 

 description and figures given by Boulenger, so there can be no 

 question of the correct identification ; for a long time I regarded all 

 my forms from Hanover as fiskii, but further study leaves no doubt 

 that verreauxii was the name originally given to this type of the 

 geometrica-gronp. 



The color pattern in jiskii is certainly a very distinctive feature 

 when taken by itself on any single specimen, but when it is stated 

 that among 150 specimens there are no two specimens exactly alike in 

 this respect, it is seen how comparatively unimportant is the feature. 

 With the single specimen before him, and the few related types for 

 comparison, it will be admitted that no other course was open to 

 Boulenger than to describe the type provisionally as a new species ; 

 now, however, when an abundance of specimens from the same 

 locality is available, we can better appreciate the value to be placed 

 upon many of the characters hitherto utilized for specific purposes. 

 For his studies on the four species — verreauxii, smithii, fiskii, and 

 seimundi — Boulenger had only three specimens, and Smith's 

 description of the first ; the verreauxii of Smith was retained, and 



