LAND-TORTOISES. 5 L 



America, and the spurred tortoise (T. calcarata) of Africa, are characterised by 

 their flattened and uniformly brownish-coloured carapaces. On the other hand, 

 the handsome leopard-tortoise (T. pardalis) of Southern Africa, has the carapace 

 highly vaulted, and closely spotted with black upon a yellowish brown ground ; 

 its anterior margin being very deeply notched. 



SIDE VIEW OF SHELL OP BURMESE BROWN TORTOISE. 



(From Giinther, Proc. Zool. Soc., 1882.) 



Ele ant Tortoise g rou P comprises about ten very beautifully coloured 



'small, or medium-sized, tortoises, the great majority of which are 

 confined to South Africa, although the species here figured (T. elegans) is an 

 inhabitant of India and Ceylon. All these species are easily recognised by the 

 carapace being extremely convex, and either black in colour, with yellow lines 

 radiating from the centre of each of the shields of the back, or yellow, or brownish, 

 marked with radiating black lines. Frequently, moreover, the shields of the back 

 are swollen, so as to form more or less prominent bosses. The Indian species, 

 together with an allied one (T. platynota), from Burma, is distinguished from all 

 the other members of the group by the absence of the nuchal shield at the front 

 of the carapace. Of the other eight species no less than seven are South African, 

 while the radiated tortoise (T. radiata) is from Madagascar; one of the best 

 known members of the group being the common geometric tortoise (T. geometrica) 

 of the Cape, which attains a length of some 5J inches. In the eyed tortoise 

 (T. oculifera) the pectoral shields of the plastron may not meet in the middle 

 line, as is the case in some individuals of the Burmese brown tortoise. While the 

 elegant and geometric tortoise have the carapace black, with narrow yellow rays, 

 in the 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 Capt 

 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 

 colour and appearance harmonising 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- 





