123 



The subsequent history of these two species, so far as Dr. Gray is con- 

 «^-erned, is as follows: In the Catalogue of Tortoises, published in 1844, he 

 regards both pseudogeographica and lesneurii as synonyms of gciMirapMca. He 

 does not appear at this time to have seen Dr. Holbrook's work of 1842. In 

 his description of the geograjMca of the Catalogue of Tortoises, Dr. Gray 

 says of the head- spot only that it is " a yellow streak on the temple." In 

 making this description he had before him two specimens, which according 

 to his plan, he designates as a and b. Was either of these the one on 

 which he had in 1831 based the species h'sueurii ! This is of some import- 

 ance and will presently be considered. 



By the time of the publication of the Catalogue of kShield Reptiles, in 

 1S55, Dr. Gray had undergone another change of mind. He now recog- 

 nized the existence of two entirely distinct species, and these he designates 

 as Emi/s cjeographka and E. jufcwJoiieographka. Of the latter species there 

 were then in the British Museum seven specimens, five of which had cer- 

 tainly been received since 1844. The other two are distinctly stated to be 

 the ones which had been recorded as (( and h under Emys geographica in the 

 work of 1844. Of Emys geographica, on the other hand, there was in 1855 

 only a single specimen in the Museum and that is expressly said to be the 

 one which furnished the description of E. lesueurii in 18ol. Even then 

 Gray seemed to be a little doubtful about its being the same as Le Sueur's 

 geographica, but his description of it removes all doubt. He contrasts it 

 sharply with the specimens of pseudogcograpJiica. 



All these facts indicate that in 1844, when Gray wrote the Catalogue of 

 Tortoises, the type of E. lesueurii was not in his hands. It had probably 

 been misplaced and for the time being lost. The descriptions of that work 

 had been drawn from two specimens of pseudogeographica. When the Cata- 

 logue of Shield Reptiles was written, the specimen had been recovered, 

 and Gray was enabled to compare it with specimens of the other species 

 and with Holbrook's descriptions and figures. It is spoken of as ''animal 

 dry from spirits," "the Museum specimen is in a bad state." Something 

 concerning its history may be inferred from these remarks. 



Dr. Boulenger, in his Catalogue of Chelonians, 1889, accepts the specific 

 name lesueurii, instead of pseudogeographica. No mention is made of the 

 specimen which served Dr. Gray as the type of lesueurii. 



With the evidence before us, we must, it seems to me, accept the name 

 pjseudogeograpMca for the species under consideration. To reject it will be 

 to ignore Gray's statements, repeatedly made, that his lesueurii is a syno- 



