26 PEOCEEDINQS OP THE 



■was leased. I believe tliat the Administrator of tlie Seyclielles 

 is responsible lor the conditions of the lease being adhered to. 

 Of course, it is difficult to exercise supervision and enforce 

 obedience to orders in an out-of-the-way place like Aldabra, 

 huudreds of miles away from administrative headquarters. But 

 it is highly satisfactory that ever since the matter was brought 

 under the notice of the Mauritian Government, not only the 

 succeeding Governors, but also the Colonial Office, .have con- 

 tinued to watch with interest over the safety of these animals. 

 Besides, I see from the official reports which are sent to me 

 from time to time, that Tortoises, whenever procurable, are 

 located in suitable places nearer to the seat of Government, 

 where they can be kept under immediate supervision. Thus, in 

 1883, several were placed on Flat Island; and Mr. Cockburn 

 Stewart, the present Administrator of the Seychelles, reported 

 in 1896 that forty-two were deposited on Curieuse Island, and 

 eight in the Government House grounds : all thriving well. 



Thus the existence of this type may be considered assured for 

 our time at least, but it will be the duty of the Biologists who 

 come after us to see that this protection, for which we ofl'er our 

 grateful acl^nowledgments to tlie men who direct Colonial atliairs 

 at present, will be continued by their successors. 



APPENDIX. 



List of Publications on Gigantic Land-Toktoises 

 letiveen the years 1875-1898. 



1875. 



1. Milne-Edwards, A. Nouveaux documents sur I'epoque de la 



disparition de la Faune ancienne de file Rodriouez. Ann. So. Nat. 

 art. no. 4, pp. 20. (Abstract in Compt. Rend. 10 May, 1875, 

 t. Ixxx. p. 1212.) 



2. Caldavell, J. Notes on the Zoology of Kodriguez. Proc.Zool. Soc. 



1875, pp. 644-7. 



1877. 



3. Adams, A. Leith. On Gigantic Ijand- Tortoises and a small Fresh- 



water species from the Ossiferous Caverns of Malta, together with 

 a List of their Fossil Fauna ; and a Note on Chelonian remains 

 from the Rock-cavities of Gibraltar. Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 

 xxxiii. 1877, pp. 177-191, pis. 5 & 6. 



1878. 



4. [Official.] Report on the Islands of Astove and Assumption and the 



Cosmoledo and Aldabra Groups. Seychelles, fol. [Report by 

 Sergeant F. Rivers to the Chief Civil Commissioner of the Sej^- 

 chelles, d. Decbr. 11, 1878.] Pp. 7. 



1879. 



5. Wolf, Th. Ein Besuch der Galapagos Inseln. Heidelberg. Svo : 



pp. 44, with 3 maps. 



1881. 



6. HuBRECHT, A. A. W. On certain Tortoises in the collections of the 



Leydeu Museum. Notes from Leyden Mus. iii. pp. 41-44. 



