266 MR. W.WILLIAMS ON THE BREEDING OF A TORTOISE. [NoV. 25, 



I have named this species after my friend Dr. Albert Giinther, 

 one of my colleagues in the Museum, who has prepared such admi- 

 rable catalogues of the Snakes and Fishes in the Museum Collection, 

 He first drew my attention to the specimen, and considers it as in- 

 dicating a very distinct and interesting species. It is to be regretted 

 that the head is so dried and covered with varnish that it is impos- 

 sible to see the distribution of the colours with any certainty ; for I 

 have found that the distribution of the colours on the head and ex- 

 posed parts of the body affords one of the best and most prominent 

 characters for the distinction of the species of this family, and one, 

 unlike the form of the bones, that is not at all, or but slightly, 

 altered by the age of the specimens. 



5. On the Breeding of a West-Indian Tortoise in this 

 Country. By William Williams (of Tregullow). 



A female Land-Tortoise, brought from the West Indies and given 

 to Mrs. Williams's mother upwards of fifty years ago, was then about 

 the size of a watch. It has now been in the garden at Tregullow 

 about thirty-two years. Four years ago another Tortoise was obtained, 

 which turned out to be a male ; they were allowed to roam in the 

 garden at their will. In 1860 some eggs were found, but, from in- 

 sufficient heat, they were not hatched. 



About the 25th of July last, the gardener, on passing a south 

 border, observed the female Tortoise making a pit with her hind legs 

 in a very peculiar manner. On watching her, he found she had 

 made a hole some four inches deep, quite flat at the bottom. On 

 returning, in about five minutes, he found she had deposited six eggs, 

 and was in the act of covering them with earth. He immediately 

 removed them, in a flowerpot-stand about two inches deep, filled 

 with white sand, to a pine-pit, and placed them on a tan-bed. On the 

 19th of October last he observed two of the eggs had been hatched ; 

 and on looking around he found, much to his astonishment, two 

 young live Tortoises. The eggs were about the size of those of a 

 pigeon, and much the same in appearance. 



The young ones are kept in a wooden box (in a pine-pit) with some 

 earth and moss, under which they nestle. They are fond of lettuces 

 and strawberries, but do not eat much. They appear quite well and 

 lively, moving about briskly ; they are now a little larger than half- 

 crowns. 



The eggs were not disturbed while in the pine-pit, the temperature 

 of which during the time they were there was from 85° to 90° by 

 day, and from 65° to 70° by night. 



The female measures 12 inches long, by 12i inches wide over the 

 back ; the male 8 inches long, by 8^ inches wide over the back. 



