98 



RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



Height, lying down 

 „ standing up 

 Front leg, under knee ... 

 ,, round elbow 



,, round foot ... 

 Hind leg, instep 

 Head, round head 

 Weight— 5 cwt. 2 qrs. 26 lbs. = 642 fts. 

 These figures were, I find, published in 1884 by Dr. J. C. Cox,* 

 who, while stating that the reptile camefrom Rotumah, was unaware 

 of its having been at Tonga prior to passing into the possession 

 of Mr. MacDonald. From this account it appears that the Gala- 

 pagos Group was then thought to be the original habitat of both 

 the tortoises, for Dr. Cox writes : — " I am not at all sure as to 

 what species these two Tortoises belong, but they are supposed to 

 come from Galapagos Archipelago." 



The next measurements available, are a few made by Dr. 

 Sinclair, in 1893, for comparison with the gigantic tortoise 

 living at Port Louis, in Mauritius, of which an account appeared 

 in the Illustrated London News : — 



On 23rd April, 1896, I examined the tortoise, and took the 

 following dimensions, which, for comparison with the foregoing, 

 are reduced to English scale : — 



* Cox— Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales, viii , 1884, p. 531. 

 t Illust. Lond. News, 3rd Dec, 1892, p. 715. 



