LEYDEN MUSEUM. 43 



don ones and extremely well preserved , never having been 

 exposed to the deteriorating influence of climate as has 

 been the case with the carapaces brought home by the 

 Transit- of- Venus-expedition. The concentric striae on the 

 scutes are very distinct, especially towards their margins; 

 the anterior and posterior margins of the shell are some- 

 what upturned , though perhaps not quite so strongly as 

 might be concluded from Schoepff's figure. The sternum 

 is concave and so the carapace has in all probability be- 

 longed to a male individual. That it came from the Cape 

 must be explained for in the same way as must so often 

 be done for the other gigantic Testudinata , viz. that it had 

 first been imported into that country from its original ha- 

 bitat Rodriguez , without any special importance having 

 been attached to this latter fact. 



The other gigantic landtortoises are very scantily repre- 

 sented in the Leyden Museum, which is deficient in all 

 the species from the Galapagos islands. 



There are four specimens of Testudo elephantina, one 

 stuffed carapace , and three other carapaces with complete 

 skeletons. Their respective sizes are 



I have moreover compared the skeletons with Günther's 

 detailed description , with which they correspond in every 

 respect. 



Finally our spirit collections contain a young specimen , 

 which will have to be referred to Testudo gigantea D.Sf B.^ 

 a species not personally examined by Günther and having 

 a general resemblance to Testudo elephantina^ from which 

 it is however disiinguished by the caudal plate being di- 

 vided in the middle. 



After the Paris specimen this would be the second on 



JVotes from the Ijeyden ^luseutn, "Vol. HI. 



