156 ME. A. C. HADDON ON THE EXTINCT 



In writing the following remarks, it is needless for me to mention the inestimable 

 assistance that I have derived from Dr. Giinther's elaborate monograph, as well as from 

 a comparison of the specimens in our Museum which have been named by him. Indeed 

 without these latter I could hardly have determined and catalogued our more recent 

 acquisitions; but since they are so extensive, it seems to me desirable that some 

 detailed account of them should be given, not with the view of superseding, but of 

 supplementing, the excellent descriptions which he has already given. I think it cannot 

 but be gratifying to him to find that the larger amount of materials at my disposal 

 enables me to confirm in almost every respect the conclusions at which he had arrived. 



In all cases I have closely followed his treatment of the subject, in order to facilitate 

 comparison. 



I. Tortoises of Mauritius. Testndo triserrata and T. inepta. 



The remains of these, the two common Mauritian species, when sufficiently perfect, 

 can, with the exception of the femur and the smaller leg-bones, be easily distinguished, 

 the other forms indicated by Dr. Giintber, Testndo indica and T. leptocnemis, being of 

 doubtful value. T. indica is known from the shell only, " the upper profile of which is 

 straight, and not declivous in front;" while T. leptocnemis rests alone on the scapula, 

 pelvis, and femur ; but its scapula docs not differ from that of T. triserrata, though its 

 pelvis and femur are " more slender than in either T. triserrata or T. inepta." 



Skull. — The additions are : — (1) a portion of the occipital and tympanic regions of a 

 moderately sized skull ; but not having the maxilla it is impossible to refer it to cither 

 species. 



(2) A slightly imperfect lower jaw of a very large specimen of T. inepta, from the 

 deposits of Flaeq. 



Mandible, extreme length and breadth 7S niillim. 



Carapace. — Only a small fragment of a plastron. 



Vertebral column. — A single example of the seventh cervical, centrum only. It is 

 biconcave, the hgemal spine as in T. Vosmari. There is a groove between it and the 

 tubercles of the anterior zygapophyses, and a deep fossa on the upper surface behind the 

 anterior zygapophysis on each side, as in the sixth cervical of T. Vosm&ri, and as is also 

 occasionally found (see examples in the Museum) in the seventh vertebra of the same 

 animal. 



niillim. lnillira. 



Extreme length of centrum 38 Length in median line :J4 



width „ 27 „ „ 18 



„ depth „ 10 „ ., 6 



Shoulder-girdle. — Two right and five left can without difficulty be referred to 

 T. triserrata. Of these there is nothing worthy of notice. 



Of the three right and three left which are supposed to belong to T. inepta, two are of 

 unusually large size. One right shoulder-girdle, marked " '^ bb (PL XIII. fig. 7), has the 

 coracoid ankylosed : though this character is supposed to be peculiar to T. triserrata, 

 yet it is found, probably as an individual variation, in this specimen, the compressed 



