588 ANNUAL REPOET SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1917. 



Three orders of reptiles are represented in the park collections. 

 These are the turtles and tortoises (Testudinata), alligators and 

 crocodiles (Loricata), and the lizards and snakes (Squamata). One 

 of the urgent requirements of the National Zoological Park is a suit- 

 able reptile house, where larger collections of these interesting 

 creatures may be exhibited. At present the reptiles are kept in 

 quarters in the lion house. 



TURTLES. 



Those turtles living entirely on land are often arbitrarily dis- 

 tinguished from the aquatic species (true turtles) and the semi 

 aquatic forms (terrapins) under the name tortoise. Some of the 

 tortoises are small in size, like our common box turtle of the Eastern 

 States: while others, particularly some of the island species, grow 

 to an immense size and are supposed to live to a greater age than 

 any other animals. These giant tortoises are now known only from 

 a few islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, on some of which 

 they were excessively abundant up to comparatively recent years. 

 Visiting ships have now so greatly reduced their numbers that on 

 most of the islands they are completely or almost exterminated. On 

 certain of the Galapagos Islands, some 500 miles off the coast of 

 Ecuador, giant tortoises were found in great numbers within the last 

 century, and on certain of the islands were fairly common less than 

 20 years ago. In addition to the thousands carried away by vessels 

 as food for the crews, great numbers have been killed for the oil 

 alone. 



A number of species of giant tortoises have been described from 

 the Galapagos, and it is believed that most of the islands of the 

 archipelago have developed separate forms; and on at least one 

 island two distinct species were found, separated by a natural bar- 

 rier. The food of these curious creatures is chiefly grass, although 

 at certain seasons a great quantity of cactus is eaten. Mr. Edmund 

 Heller, who visited the Galapagos Islands in 1898 and 1899, col- 

 lected one specimen which had the whole palate and pharynx 

 bristling with cactus spines, and noted that the tortoises eagerl^v de- 

 voured the stems and fruit of the cactus quite unmindful of the 

 spines and apparently without suffering. Heller states that the 

 tortoises are quite active, and though slow are so persistent in their 

 journeys that they cover several miles a day. 



Specimens of two species of Galapagos tortoises were obtained for 

 the park collection from the material collected by the Eothschild 

 expedition to the islands in 1897. The Albermarle Island tortoise 

 (Testiido r/'chia) is perhaps the largest living tortoise, and speci- 

 mens have been known which were over 4 feet in length and prob- 



