OCCASIONAL NOTES. 



1. — TiiK Male CJ alapadds Tohtoisk (Textudu iiit/rita) I'oi; \i kki,v 

 AT Gladesville, Sydnev. 



Tlirongli the courtesy of tlie Council of the Zoohigical Society of 

 New Sontli Wales, I was permitted to make extracts from the ohl Minute 

 Books of the Society iii conuection with facts relating to the acclimatisation 

 of certain animals and birds. By this means I am able to fill a gap in 

 Mr. E. R. Waite's history^ of the Male Gladesville Tortoise. 



Mr. Waite records the arrival of the Tortoise in Sydney from Tonga, 

 apparently in 1866, and recounts its presentation to Mr. Alexander 

 MacDonald by King George of Tonga. " From 1866 to the end of 1896 

 the tortoise lived in Sydney, and at the latter date was removed to 

 England." 



Now a newspaper cutting attached to the minutes of the Society of 

 the 3rd October, 1884, record the following facts: — 



" The reception yesterday at the grounds of an enormous land tortoise, 

 supposed to be one of the largest, if not the. largest in the world. It is 

 sent bv Mr. Alexander MacDonald, of Potts Point, a member of the firm 

 of .MacDonald, Smith & Co., of Hunter Street, to whom it was presented 

 20 years ago by King George of Tonga, when its age was estimated, in 

 Tonga, at upwards of 200 years. It weighs 5 cwt., 2 qrs , 26 lbs., length 

 from nose to tail 6 feet, 2 inches ; girth 8 feet, 3 inches. There ha.s been 

 a larger specimen of tortoise known, one weighing 870 lbs. ; but that is 

 now en.shrined among the other stuffed natural wonders in the British 

 Museum " (Minutes, 3rd October, 1884). 



On the 16th January, 1885, the Secretary reported the Tortoise 

 removal by Mr. MacDonald, on 7th January, either back to Potts Point 

 or to Gladesville. 



It will be noted that the measurements given above and those afforded 

 both by Dr. J. C. Cox- and Mr. Waite are precisely the same. 



R. ETHERIDGE. 



1 Waite— Eec. Aus. Mus., iii.. 5. 1899, p. 95. 



2 Cox— Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.Wales, viii., 4, p. .532. 



