56 



KNOWLEDGE 



[Mabch, 1903. 



The Malagasy tortoise [Tesludo grandidieri) ap}5ears, as 

 already said, to have been extermiuated before Europeans 

 had any knowledge of the islands, but beautifully pre- 

 served shells (wanting the horny shields) have been dis- 

 covered, three of which are exhibited in the Natural 

 History Museum. Among the Mascarene tortoises, most 

 of which are distinguished from those of Aldabra by their 

 long thick necks and the absence of a nuchal shield * to 

 the shell, five or six species are known in a sub-fossil state 

 from Mauritius. To one of these {T. indica) special 

 interest attaches from the circumstance that till about 

 1871 all the tortoises from the islands of the ludian Ocean 

 ■were referred to by that name. Of equal interest, although 

 from a totally different point of view, is the Rodriquez 

 tortoise {T. rosnueri). on account of the extreme tenuity 

 of its bony shell ; a feature shared by certain of the 

 Galapagos species, and indicative that the thick shell 

 characteristic of tortoises generally is not required by the 

 island forms which have no enemies. 



A tortoise received in company with two others from the 

 Seychelles in 1894 by Mr. Kothschild, and now living at 

 Tring, is believed to be one of the Mascarene species, with 

 which it agrees in the characters referred to above. It may 

 have come from one of the smaller islands, and thus be 

 different from any of the named forms, although it is 

 difficult t« determine this during its Ufe. Very little 

 appears to be known of the Reunion, Comoro, and 

 Amirante tortoises, but it is stated by Mr. Rothschild 

 that the one from Reunion differed from all the other 

 Mascarene forms, and resembled those from Aldahra. 

 Special interest attaches to the history of the surviving 

 representatives of the presumed Seychelle tortoise, which 

 has been named T. sumeirei. It appears that in the year 

 1766 five giant tortoises from the Seychelles were taken to 

 Mauritius by the Chevalier Marion de Fresne.and have been 

 since known as Marion's tortoises. In 1833 one, which 

 died soon after, was brought to the London Zoological 

 Gardens, where a second arrived some years later. A third 

 was received in 1898, but did not long survive its journey. 

 The other two are still living in Mauritius. By far the 

 most celebrated of these latter is the one in the Royal 

 Artillery Barracks at Port Louis. It is now nearly blind, 

 although otherwise in good health. The shell measures 

 about 40 inches in a straight line, and is i-eported to 

 have been of that size so long ago as 1810. Probably this 

 tortoise was at least a century old when first brought to 

 Mauritius nearly 140 years ago. In its long thick neck, 

 and the absence of a nuchal shield, Testudo sumeirei agrees 

 with the Mascai'ene species, and as it is quite different 

 from the Aldabra forms, Mr. Rothschild considers that its 

 original home was the Seychelles, whence Marion brought 

 his specimens — probably some of the last survivors of 

 their kind — to Mauritius as curiosities. Possibly the 

 tortoise brought in 1798 from the Seychelles to Colombo, 

 where it survived till 1897, may have been of the same 

 species. The length of its shell is .535 inches, or only an 

 inch-and-a-half less than that of the great South Aldabra 

 tortoise noticed below. 



Passing on to the Aldabra tortoises, distinguished by 

 their short necks and the presence of a nuchal shield, we 

 have first to notice that the only member of the group 

 surviving in a' wild state in its native habitat is the South 

 Aldabra Testudo daudini. Very remarkable is the history 

 of a male of this species received by Mr. Kothschild in 1897, 

 which is the largest known example of modern giant 

 tortoises, the length of the carapace in a straight line 

 being no less than .55 inches, or onlv 19 inches short of 



* The nuchal sWeld is the single symmetrical horny plate found 

 in the middle line of the front margin of the shell of most tortoises. 



the length assigned to that of the extmct T. atlas. This 

 monster, whose original home was South Aldabra, lived for 

 many years on Egmont Island, in the Chagos group, 

 whence it was taken by its owner. Monsieur L. Autelme, 

 to Mauritius, and thence sent to England. It is currently 

 reported to have lived in Egmont for a century and a half, 

 but since the Chagos group was only colonised from 

 Mauritius in the early part of the last century, there is 

 some doubt as to the correctness of the statement. Any- 

 way, this tortoise must have been of a prodigious age at 

 the time of its death. During its sojourn on Egmont 

 Island this tortoise used to bury itself and become dormant 

 for half the year — a most remarkable fact in a tropical 

 island. South Aldabra is a coral island very difficult 

 to traverse, so that it is no easy matter to obtain a 

 sight of the tortoises. Seven were, however, captured 

 and exported in 1895, of which six reached Europe 

 alive. 



The second species of Aldabra tortoise (T. gigantea) 

 formerly inhabited the north and central islands in great 

 abundance, but is now known solely by individuals intro- 

 duced by the planters into the Seychelles, where they are 

 kej)t in a state of semi-domestication, and by a single 

 specimen in St. Helena. There appear to be two races of 

 this species, namely the typical form, in which the shell 

 is depressed, with the horny shields nearly smooth, and 

 T. gigantea elephantina, in which the shell is highly convex, 

 with the shields on the back marked by conspicuous eon- 

 centric strlations. In some instances the shield immediately 

 above the tail is divided, as in the extinct Siwalik tortoise. 

 The shell of a male of this species received by Mr. 

 Rothschild in 1893 measured 40;^ inches in length (in a 

 straight line) four years later. The St. Helena example 

 is said to have lived in that island for more than a century. 

 It is not a little remarkable that the survivors of the 

 North Aldabra tortoise should have been preserved in the 

 Seychelles, while those of the species believed to be 

 indigenous to the latter islands have been kept in captivity 

 in Mauritius. 



In 1894, Mr. Rothschild's specimen of the North 

 Aldabra tortoise weighed 327 lbs., but by 1897 its weight 

 had increased to 358 lbs. These weights are, however, 

 vastly exceeded by that of the great South Aldabra 

 tortoise which scaled no less than 560 lbs. ; this was, 

 however, immediately after its journey to England, during 

 which it had become much emaciated, so that these figures 

 afford no real criterion of its proper weight. Of the habits 

 of the North Aldabra tortoise at Tring. its owner wrote 

 as follows : " Whenever the temperature is over sixty 

 (60^ Fahr.), this tortoise has a fine run of 350 acres of 

 grass park, but on the temperature falling to sixty, it is 

 kept in a shed, and when once the temperature shows 

 permanently below 58^ Fahr., it is put in an orchid house, 

 i.e., from September to June. When at liberty in the 

 park it lives entirely on grass, but in the hot-house feeds 

 on carrots, cabbages, lettuce, and several other vegetables. 

 It is very fond of rotten fruit." 



Of the habits of the giant tortoises of the islands of the 

 Indian Ocean in a state of nature we know practically 

 nothing, owing to the fact that in South Aldabra alone 

 are anv members of the group living in a wdd condition, 

 and "that accurate observation is there practically 

 impossible. Of the mode of life of the Galapagos species 

 we have comparatively full accounts ; but Gmitations of 

 space render it impossible on the present occasion to refer 

 further to these species, either as regards their distinctive 

 characteristics or their history and habits. 1 have only 

 to add that readers of Knowledge are indebted to Mr. 

 Rothschild for the loan of the photographs illustrating 

 this article. 



