30 



REPTILE GALLERY 



old, was still growing at the time of its death ; the gigantic Land 

 Tortoise of Abingdon Island (T. abingdonii), remarkable for its 



Fig. 22. 



»^53» 



Testudo abingdonii. The Tortoise of Abingdon Isl., Galapagos. 



long neck and its thin shell, which may be easily pierced by a 

 knife. The specimens exhibited were obtained by Commander 

 W. E. Cookson during the visit of H.M.S. ' Petrel' to the 

 Galapagos Islands in 1875, and were probably the last survivors of 

 their race. 



