Vol. II, Pt. I] VAN DENBURGH— GALAPAGOS TORTOISES 3^9 



Testudo darwini Van Denburgh 



James Island Tortoise 



Plates 56 to 63. 



Testudo darwini Van Denburgh, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (4), I 1907, 

 p. 4 ; SiEBENRocK, Zool. Jahrb., Suppl. X, 3, 1909, p. 533. 



Type specimen. — California Academy of Sciences No. 8108. 

 Adult male. Straight length 38 inches. Taken on James 

 Island, by R. H. Beck and Joseph R. Slevin, July 31, 1906. 



Distribution. — This tortoise seems now to be confined to the 

 less accessible parts of James Island. It formerly was very 

 abundant, but seems now to be very near extinction. 



Material. — Although this tortoise was taken from the Gala- 

 pagos Islands in great numbers by vessels which visited them 

 in early days, no specimen of it seems to have been preserved 

 in any museum until the recent expedition secured five for the 

 Academy. • 



Diagnosis. — No nuchal; gulars paired; fourth cervical ver- 

 tebra biconvex; carapace high, elongate, somewhat dome- 

 shaped but high in front; posterior declivity beginning about 

 middle of third vertebral; height at nuchal notch more than 

 41% (42 to 45%) of straight length; difference between per- 

 centages of height at third vertebral and at nuchal notch in 

 male more than 9 (10 to 14); carapace not saddle-shaped, 

 width at margin of junction of second and third marginals 48 

 to 58% ; width over curve in male not greater than length over 

 curve ; vertical distance from lower surface of plastron to lower 

 edge of lateral marginals moderately great, 7 to 9% ; general 

 size large, straight length 38 inches ; shell heavy ; pectoral plates 

 forming a suture on median line ; eighth marginal not reduced ; 

 the sum of the measurements of the length over curve, length 

 of plastron, height at nuchal notch, and height at third ver- 

 tebral, equals or exceeds the sum of the measurements of the 

 straight length, straight width, and width over curve ; jaws and 

 throat black marked with yellow. 



September 30, 1914. 



