I )r. .1. \\. (iray on Scapia I'liayri'i. 328 



p. 88, luulor ^^Maii.suria, iliia/s^^ : — "Tlic dc'ljiis of tlie spi'timcii 

 tbnnerly cxliihitod as a sturted aidinal, but now only in tiag- 

 mcnts ; heads, li't;s, *K:e. vte. missing." 



It is to be reuuirki'd that no rctercnce is made to its being 

 tlic Tistuilo PlKU/nt ot' lilyth, or where lie described it, as is 

 usually stated in the catalogue, and that "Gray," instead of 

 "Cfiinther," is inserted after the name used, which I had not 

 adopted at that time*. 



Dr. Anderson, who was the curator when Mr. Theobald 

 made the catalogue, and who is now Director of the ^liiseum, 

 observes that Blyth's type of Tcstndo Plicn/rci is still in the 

 museum in a perfect state, and that it was referred by Theo- 

 bald to T. indiva f; and further on he says it is in " a capital 

 condition." 



He refers also to the second specimen mentioned by Blyth 

 as being in the museum, observing, " This is the specimen 

 refen'cd by ^Ir. Theobald to Manouria etnys in his catalogue." 

 It " can hardly be said to be in fragments, as the carapace is 

 entire, with the exception of a small portion Avhich has been 

 broken oti' the anterior margin. The sternum, also, is nearly 

 perfect, as shown in my cbawing, although it wants the dermal 

 plates." " The skull and the remainder of the skeleton, how- 

 ever, are absent." He further states, " The names of the 

 sternal plates are in the handwriting of Dr. Falconer." 



There is an equal discrepancy about the manipulation 

 which this second or "deformed" specimen has undergone. 



Mr. Theobald, according to the statement of Dr. Sclater in 

 the 'Athenajum,' Decembers, 1870, p. 723, stated simply that 

 he found "one of the typical specimens of Testudo Phayrei in 

 the Indian Museum in a very fragmentary state. On insti- 

 tuting inquiries as to how this had come to pass, he was told 

 that the specimen had been taken away by Dr. Falconer, 

 when engaged in preparing his catalogue of the Asiatic So- 

 ciety's Sewalik fossils, and buried in order to separate the 

 bones." 



" The skeleton of the tortoise in question was found to bear 

 the names of the different bones written on them in ink, either 

 by Dr. Falconer or Ms assistant Dr. Walker ; and the skull 



• I am pai-ticular in referring to this point, for it is from a similar 

 accident tliat ^fr. Blyth and Mr. Theobald are so irate at the name of 

 (h-ay appearing after T. elongata. If they referred to my original de- 

 scription in the ' Proceedings ' for 18o(5, they would there find that I give 

 the name of Bljlh to the species, and refer to the place where he de- 

 scribed it. 



t The only specimen in the Catalogue is entered " T. indica, Gmelin ; 

 a stulled female. Galapagos Islands." Can this be the specimen refenrod 

 to, and the habitat a mistake or a guess ? 



