Vol. II, Pt. I] VAN DENBURGH— GALAPAGOS TORTOISES 231 



were tied up in a sack, one at a time, and then lowered down 

 to the skiff from the top of a bluff 75 feet high. Getting them 

 into the skiff, at 4 p. m. we were aboard the schooner with six 

 live tortoises. The small one which was found yesterday 

 appeared to be nearly dead when visited today. The soil at the 

 bottom of the crater is full of cracks in places, showing that 

 probably during the wet season there is water there. There 

 were several rocks with depressions in their tops, and the 

 prints of tortoise feet near them showed that the animals 

 probably relied on these places for their supply of water during 

 the dry season. It rained last Sunday while we were in the 

 crater, and in one of these holes quite a little water had col- 

 lected. 



"Sept. 9. — Went ashore at about 8 a. m.^ or rather started 

 at that time, it being a long pull to the island. Harris, Hull, 

 and Beck carried the guns, while the mate and a sailor (Her- 

 man Jahnke) and myself were to bring down the two tor- 

 toises. We got into the crater at about 11 a. m. ; picked up 

 the bones of a tortoise that had been found some time before. 

 We saw a snake that was about 1^ ft. long, slender and 

 blackish, with white rings. The mate noticed it first and 

 called me, but I only arrived in time to see it disappearing 

 under the grass, from which we were unable to dislodge it. 

 The mate was afraid of snakes. We ate lunch in the crater. 

 Just as we were commencing, Harris brought in a small tor- 

 toise which had escaped last Sunday, the one first caught. 

 The mate claimed that this one bit him while he was tying 

 it up. After lunch we started out of the crater, a sailor and 

 myself carrying the large dead one on a pole, and the mate the 

 live one in a pack on his back. We got down to the bluff m 

 good time, when we lowered them down, and then climbed 

 down ourselves. At a little after 4 p. m. the rest of the party 

 appeared, bringing in another dead tortoise and the small live 

 one, the sack of bones, and some birds. Beck carried a big 

 tortoise from the other side of the island, and reported seeing 

 five others in a gulch on the other side of the crater, three of 

 them being larger than any secured thus far. He said that one 

 of the big ones was feeding on an old dead cactus. We got 

 on board after a long pull, and started over to Conway Bay, 

 where we anchored at 7 p. m. 



