Dr. J. E. Gray on Scapia Phayi'ei. 323 



p. 88, under ^^Mausuna^Emys''^ : — "The debris of the specimen 

 formerly exhibited as a stuffed animal, but now only in frag- 

 ments ; heads, legs, &c. &c. missing." 



It is to be remarked that no reference is made to its being 

 the Testudo Phayrei of BIyth, or where he described it, as is 

 usually stated in the catalogue, and that " Gray," instead of 

 " Giinther," is inserted after the name used, which I had not 

 adopted at that time*. 



Dr. Anderson, who was the curator when Mr. Theobald 

 made the catalogue, and who is now Director of the Museum, 

 observes that Blyth's type of Testudo Phayrei is still in the 

 museum in a perfect state, and that it was referred by Theo- 

 bald to T. indica t; and further on he says it is in " a capital 

 condition." 



He refers also to the second specimen mentioned by Blyth 

 as being in the museum, observing, " This is the specimen 

 referred by Mr. Theobald to Manouria emys in his catalogue." 

 It " can hardly be said to be in fragments, as the carapace is 

 entire, with the exception of a small portion which has been 

 broken off the anterior margin. The sternum, also, is nearly 

 perfect, as shown in my drawing, although it wants the dermal 

 plates." " The skull and the remainder of the skeleton, how- 

 ever, are absent." He fui'ther states, " The names of the 

 sternal plates are in the handwriting of Dr. Falconer." 



There is an equal discrepancy about the manipulation 

 which this second or " deformed" specimen has undergone. 



Mr. Theobald, according to the statement of Dr. Sclater in 

 the ' Athen£eum,' December 3, 1870, p. 723, stated simply that 

 he found "one of the typical specimens of Testudo Phayrei in 

 the Indian Museum in a very fragmentary state. On insti- 

 tuting inquiries as to how this had come to pass, he was told 

 that the specimen had been taken away by Dr. Falconer, 

 when engaged in preparing his catalogue of the Asiatic So- 

 ciety's Sewalik fossils, and bm*ied in order to separate the 

 bones." 



" The skeleton of the tortoise in question was found to bear 

 the names of the different bones wi'itten on them in ink, either 

 by Dr. Falconer or his assistant Dr. Walker ; and the skull 



* I am particular in referring to this point, for it is from a similar 

 jxccident that Mr. Blyth and Mr. Theobald are so irate at the name of 

 Gray appearing after T. elongata. If they referred to my original de- 

 scription in the ' Proceedings ' for 1856, they would there find that I give 

 the name of Blyth to the species, and refer to the place where he de- 

 scribed it. 



t The only specimen in the Catalogue is entered " T. indica, Gmelin ; 

 a stuffed female. Galapagos Islands." Can this be the specimen referred 

 to, and the habitat a mistake or a guess ? 



