AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS IN NEW GUINEA 391 



a wide semicircular notch forms the lower margin of the anal 

 plates. 



The head is rather large covered with a rugose skin; skull 

 slightly depressed, zygomatic arch wanting and with a large tym- 

 panic opening. 



The neck is rather thick, slightly warty above and rugose 

 below, with two very small beards. 



The fore legs have large transverse scales in front; the hind 

 ones are granular. — The claws are long and sharp and the 

 space between the toes is fully webbed. 



The specimen is a female from which M. r D'Albertis took a 

 number of rather large eggs. The male is no doubt furnished 

 with a much larger tail than the female and I mention this, 

 more particularly, because the late D. r Gray was of opinion that 

 several tortoises (which I had forwarded to him from the Bur- 

 nett River and w T hich I had examined and found to be males) 

 were distinct species. The colour of these reptiles is as uniform 

 as that of our Landshells — olive green* above and straw yel- 

 low below. The yellow is relieved in the present species by 

 scarlet (in young specimen) about the centre of the sternum 

 and a deep orange streak runs from the eye to the tympanum. 

 Australian examples of the long necked kind when just hat- 

 ched are always bright brick-red below, but the spots soon fade. 



Total length of upper shell 9 ^2 inches; across the centre at 

 narrowest part 8 inches. Total length of sternum 7 l j 2 inches; 

 across the sternum narrowest part 7 inches. 



All round the body highest part 15 inches. The measurements 

 are taken curves included. 



The discovery of so true an Australian form in New Guinea 

 bears out D. r Sclater's supposition that the great island is part 

 of Australia proper and whatever novelties there may yet be 

 discovered in Papua so much is certain all will bear the Austra- 

 lian stamp — a sort of « natural history trade mark » which 

 true observers understand, but which as a rule is overlooked by 

 the species mongers. 



Even in this case I should prefer to find that the tortoise in 



