OBSERVATIONS ON TESTTTDO NIGRITA — 'WAITE. 



101 



Other Tortoises. 

 In the Museum collection are four examples of Testudo nigrita. 

 These may be tabulated as follows : — 



A. The female (and skeleton) already dealt with. 



B. A smaller female, mounted in the Museum. 



C. Carapace and plastron of another example, possibly a male. 



D. Skeleton of a much larger specimen, also believed to be a 



male. 

 The last named is the only other one of which I can gather any 

 information. It was brought to Sydney in a schooner about the 

 year 1860, and from that time to the date of its death it was an 

 inhabitant of the Museum grounds. It not infrequently wandered 

 into the street, and on one such occasion a cart collided with it 

 and broke in part of the carapace, the injury being now very 

 apparent. The specimen has not been well cared for in the past, 

 and the mandible and portion of the tail bones have been lost. 

 This collection of four is an interesting one, and shows well to 

 what extent the shape and structure of the shell alters with age. 

 In the younger examples the concentric strise of the shields are 

 extremely well marked (almost absolute in the adult), the free 

 edges of the carapace are much more deflected, especially on the 

 posterior border, while the costal sutures are more deeply cleft. 

 Another feature exhibited by the immature form is the greater 

 prominence of the knobby protuberances of the carapace. 



The dimensions of the three smaller examples have been ascer- 



tained, as below : — 



Length over curve 

 „ in straight line 



Width over curve ... 

 „ in straight line 



Length 

 Width 



Carapace. 



Plastron. 



B? GS Dc? 



