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. 



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. 



