1869.] DR. J. E. GRAY ON THE TORTOISES. 171 
Museum,’ t. 35. f. 1, and the larger Testudo planiceps, figured in 
the same work, t. 34, and only known from a skull in the Museum 
collection. From its size, it is most probably the skull of one of the 
Black Tortoises of Asia that have been called Testudo indica, which 
are found spread over all parts of the Asiatic region, also on the 
islands off the east coast of Africa, and in California and the Gala- 
pagos, and of which certain variations in form were regarded by the 
older writers as denoting distinct species. Modern writers on the 
subject have united these into a single species under the name of 
Testudo indica. 
Testudo falconeri and T. planiceps having been described from 
skulls in museums, without any knowledge of the thoraces of the 
animals to which they belonged, I am not able to say if they are 
identical with any of the Tortoises which have been described from 
thoraces only, under the names of Testudo elephantopus, T. nigra, T. 
dussumieri, T. gigantea, T. vosmaeri, T. nigrita, T. daudini, T. ele- 
phantina, T. perraultit, and T. peltastes. This is one of those in- 
stances which ought to teach naturalists caution in determining 
species without the examination of all the parts of the animal, the 
skull as well as the thorax. 
The Tortoises that have been called 7. indica are found in India, 
Africa, and America, or rather on the islands of these two latter 
continents; and it has been supposed that they have been intro- 
duced to these places by ships, as they are sometimes collected and 
used as food aboard ship. Some say they were introduced into India, 
and the original habitat of the species is unknown. Perhaps the 
discovery that there are several species confounded under the name 
of T'. indica may solve this problem. : 
There is a large species of Tortoise from India named Manouria 
Susea, the skull of which has somewhat the general form of that of 
Testudo falconeri; but the latter differs in having a broad, well- 
developed zygomatic arch, the arch in Manouria fusca being slender 
and weak. 
2. PELTASTES. 
The alveolar margin of the upper jaw rather broad in the hinder 
part, interrupted in front by a broad concavity over the anterior in- 
ternal nostril; the broad hinder part with a slightly raised ridge and 
a similar raised inner edge nearly parallel to the margin of the jaw ; 
the front of the jaws has two slight prominences, separated by a 
slight notch. Lower jaw slender, with a short edge in front, and 
with a rather deep rounded groove with a very thin inner edge oc- 
cupying the inner surface of the hinder half of the margin. 
'], PELTASTES ELONGATUS. 
Testudo elongata, Gray, P. Z.S. 1861, p. 139. 
Hab. India. 
There are two skulls of this kind in the British Museum, the 
smaller sent by Professor Oldham with the thorax, which proves it 
to be the skull of 7. elongata; the larger one was presented by the 
