152 GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO. 



as two hundred pounds of meat. The old males 

 are the largest, the females rarely growing to so 

 great a size : the male can readily be distinguished 

 from the female by the greater length of its tail. 

 The tortoises which live on those islands where 

 there is no water, or in the lower and arid parts 

 of the others, feed chiefly on the succulent cactus. 

 Those which frequent the higher and damp re- 

 gions eat the leaves of various trees, a kind of 

 berry (called guayavita) which is acid and austere, 

 and likeAvise a pale-green filamentous lichen (Us- 

 nera plicata), that hangs in tresses from the boughs 

 of the trees. 



The tortoise is very fond of water, drinking 

 large quantities, and wallowing in the mud. The 

 larger islands alone possess springs, and these aie 

 always situated towards the central parts, and at 

 a considerable height. The tortoises, therefore, 

 which frequent the lower districts, when thirsty, 

 are obliged to travel from a long distance. Hence 

 broad and Avell-beaten paths branch off' in every 

 direction from the wells down to the sea-coast ; and 

 the Spaniards, by following them up, first discover- 

 ed the watering-places. When I landed at Chat- 

 ham Island, I could not imagine what animal 

 travelled so methodically along well-chosen tracks. 

 Near the springs it was a curious spectacle to be- 

 hold many of these huge creatures, one set eagerly 

 travelling onwards with outstretched necks, and 

 another set returning, after having drunk their fill. 

 When the tortoise arrives at the spring, quite re- 

 gardless of any spectator, he buries his head in 

 the water above his eyes, and greedily swallows 

 great mouthfuls, at the rate of about ten in a min- 

 ute. The inhabitants say each animal stays three 

 or four days in the neighbourhood of the water, 

 and then returns to the lower country; but they 



