THE LAND TORTOISES AND TERRAPINS 



2409 



eyed tortoise the markings take the form of brownish yellow and dark brown rays 

 of nearly equal width. 



An admirable account of the habits of the elegant tortoise is given by Captain 

 T. Hutton, from which the following extracts are made. These tortoises are fairly 

 common in dry, hilly districts, where they inhabit the high grass jungles at the 

 foot of the hills. Nevertheless, they are by no means easy to find, owing to their 

 color and appearance harmonizing so closely with the rocky ground, and from their 

 habit of remaining in concealment beneath shrubs or tufts of grass during the heat 

 of the day. They are tracked by the Bhils of Meywar to their hiding places by fol- 



ELEGANT TORTOISE. 

 (One- third natural size.) 



lowing the trail of their footsteps in the dry sand, the same method being employed 

 by some of the wild tribes of South Africa in the case of the allied species inhabit- 

 ing that continent. In the rainy season the elegant tortoise is, however, extremely 

 active, and wanders about in search of food at all hours of the day. At the ap- 

 proach of the cold weather these reptiles select a sheltered spot, where they conceal 

 themselves by thrusting their shells into thick tufts of bushes or shrubs, in order to 

 be better protected from the cold. There they remain in a kind of lethargic, al- 

 though not truly torpid, state, till the hot season, when they issue out to feed only 

 after sunset and in the early morning. Specimens kept in captivity were observed 



