^TsQ^^'] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 761 



in the accompanying tiguie. Sometimes the top is 30 feet in diameter, 

 perched upon a support of 5 or feet in thickness. 



As before stated, the ishind is full of pits. These are often 20 to 30 

 feet in diameter and as many feet deep, and are full of salt water at 

 high tide. ISTear the western end of the floor of the lagoon is a large 

 hole, through which the water spouts up as tlie tide rises. This open- 

 ing doubtless communicates with the sea outside through subterra- 

 nean i^assages, and as the tide outside the lagoon is one or two hours 

 in adv'ance of that inside, this phenomenon is easily accounted for. 



The currems sweep with great ra]>idity through the lagoon, especially 

 near the channels, but in some of the calmer corners, particularly in 

 the southwest, the bottom is covered with a layer of line white mud, 

 similar to that described by Darwin at Keeling atoll. 



The average temperature on the island during October was 76° in 

 early morn ing and 84° during the day. After the monsoon clumged, early 

 in December, it became nuich damper and warmer — uj) to 90° in the shade 

 at 2 p. m. During October and November we had no rain, the vegeta- 

 tion became quite dried up, and mosquitoes were absent. In December 

 about 15 inches of rain fell; vegetation awakened, nearly every plant put 

 forth fresh green leaves and flowered. A more complete transforma- 

 tion could scarce be imagined. The desert island became a blooming 

 garden filled with the perfume of flowers. 



The most remarkable indigenous inhabitant of Aldabra is the gigan- 

 tic land tortoise,* similar to tliose of the Galapagos group. They were 

 formerly very abundant, but being easily caught and in great demand 

 for their flesh, their numbers have been greatly diminished by the 

 whalers and tishermen visiting the island. They are now protected 

 (nominally) by the government of kSeychelles, to which Aldabra belongs. 

 They are still found upon Grande Terre and tie Nord, probably in con- 

 siderable numbers, although I met with but few, as many parts of 

 Aldabra are wholly inaccessible, owing to the rugged surface and dense 

 jungle. They were completely exterminated upon lie Picard about 

 twelve years since, but have recently been reintroduced by the present 

 lessee of the island, Mr. James Spurs. At the present day they are 

 more plentiful in the Seychelles than in their original habitat. They 

 were brought many years since to the former islands, where they breed 

 freely in confinement, and are much valued for food, being eaten at mar- 

 riage feasts and on other festive occasions. It is the only remaining spe- 

 cies of the gigantic land- tortoises that formerly inhabited Bourbon, Mauri- 

 tius, and Eodriguez (and probably also Madagascar) at the time of tlieir 

 discovery. A single individual, probably of the Rodriguez species, still 

 lives at Fort George Barracks, in Mauritius. The greatest enemy of 

 the land tortoise is the common rat, which swarms upon Aldabra and 

 eats the young as soon as they are hatched. 



The only other land-reptiles upon Aldabra are a small lizard {Able- 



Probably Testudo elephantina. F. A. L. 



