134 Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology. 



hidden in the grass without causing them to take alarm. Had 

 these been in the open they would almost certainly have hastened 

 to make their escape. On one occasion as I was returning after 

 walking to the southern end of the "old road" in search of nesting- 

 tortoises I caught sight of a huge female almost hidden in the 

 grass. As soon as she caught my eye she made a dash for the 

 water and escaped. From the fact that she had almost com- 

 pleted her nest I knew that she must have been in the same place 

 when I passed a few minutes before, but was aware that she had 

 escaped detection. 



On another occasion I discovered a large female lying very 

 flat on a narrow shelf-like ledge of railway embankment. She 

 evidently saw me immediately as she stretched up her head in the 

 usual alert fashion. For a few moments she remained perfectly 

 still eyeing me closely, and, as I made no hostile move, she con- 

 tinued her work, which proved to be the filling in of a nest. After 

 the completion of this task she remained motionless for some time. 

 Then, as I turned my head slightly to look at an approaching boat, 

 she turned quickly and scrambled down the embankment and 

 into the lake before I could overtake her. 



That females may abandon their nests even when engaged in 

 laying is shown by the fact that on one occasion I found a nest of 

 large size containing only seven large eggs that were not covered 

 up. From the fact that the nest was within a few feet of the 

 railway track, I concluded that the tortoise had been unable to 

 control its fright at the sight of a rapidly approaching train and 

 had beaten a hasty and ignominious retreat. 



A discussion of breeding habits would not be complete without 

 some account of the character and number of eggs laid, about 

 which there has been a considerable diversity of statement. Some 

 observers claim that as many as sixty, others as many as forty, are 

 laid by one female at one time. This I believe to be an error due 

 to two incorrect observations. One source of error is the counting 

 of ovarian eggs not in the oviducts. It is well known that these 

 are destined for the following two or three seasons. Only the eggs 

 actually in the oviducts are destined for the current season. 

 The other source of error arises from considering all the eggs in 

 one nest as the deposit of one female. Frequently in small sandy 

 areas such large numbers of tortoises lay their eggs that nests are 

 in contact or overlap. I have found as many as forty eggs together 



