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



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have taken were heading up the mountain. At Tagus and 

 Iguana coves I noticed that the tortoises were covered with 

 ticks all over the skin and along the cracks between the plates 

 of the plastron. Cactus is somewhat scarce here compared with 

 other places, and the chief part of the tortoises' diet is a coarse 

 grass that is abundant on the hills and in the valleys. The 

 tortoises here seem to be of a uniform size and have thin 

 shells. 



April 2, 1906. — During the morning I worked on board 

 with tortoises, etc. Mr. Beck went over to Narborough to 

 hunt for tortoises. King and I went up to camp this after- 

 noon, to carry out a tortoise we had tied up on the mountain. 



April 3, 1906. — Skinned the tortoise and carried him out — 

 a good day's work. 



April 4, 1906. — King and I went to the foot of the mountain 

 to get a tortoise Beck said he had tied up, but after hunting 

 all day failed to find it. We obtained a good view of the 

 north side of the mountain, which appears to be all fresh lava 

 with very few patches of vegetation. The whole country to 

 the north is fresh lava. Cape Berkeley was plainly visible, 

 and appeared very high and steep. The mountain at Banks 

 Bay was also seen, but the character of the country and vege- 

 tation could not be made out. 



April 7, 1906. — Went ashore to get the tortoise Beck tied 

 up several days ago. We found him a long way up the moun- 

 tain and not where Beck told us to look. His stomach con- 

 tained grass. 



March 14, 1906. — We sailed down the coast toward the high 

 mountain at Iguana Cove, and anchored at evening about six 

 or eight miles east of it. 



March 15, 1906. — Went ashore, about two miles west from 

 our anchorage, at a small cove on the coast in the vicinity of 

 Cape Rose. We got into a fine tortoise country, where the 

 natives had been killing off the tortoises some years ago. There 

 was a small plateau, well cut up with cattle trails and having 

 abundant cactus (Opiintia). There was also an abundance 

 of the trees which produce a fruit that looks like a small apple. 

 This fruit appears to have a somewhat poisonous effect, and 

 goes through the tortoise like a purge. The tortoises taken 

 here were full of this fruit, and the intestines were much 



