Vol. II, Pt. I] VAN DENBURCH— GALAPAGOS TORTOISES 



343 



The following day King and I skinned three, that we found 

 near the camp. Beck and the guide went out hunting again, 

 but failed to find any large tortoises. The largest skeleton we 

 saw measured seven spans. We collected a sack-full of old 

 skulls in fairly good condition. Seeing that we could not get 

 what was desired. Beck decided to return, and we started 

 back Sunday with eight tortoises we had skinned on the trip. 

 On the way up the mountain, and about half way to the 

 hacienda. King found a large male tortoise that measured 

 six spans. We decided to return next day and skin him. This 

 we accomplished, and got back to the hacienda by dark with 

 our ninth tortoise. This tortoise was a very old male. The 

 plates on the side of the carapace were loose in life, and the 

 plates on top all chipped up. The fore legs were scarred up 

 where they had been chewed by dogs. Altogether, he was a 

 regular old patriarch. The principal food of these tortoises 

 was the grass that covers the entire country for miles around. 

 One of the females contained eggs nearly ready to lay. The 

 others had ovaries somewhat less developed, several contain- 

 ing large yolks. One female (C. A. S. No. 8189) had a scar 

 in the right hind end of the carapace where a hole had healed 

 over. Our guide explained that the natives made these holes 

 to see whether the tortoises were fat enough to kill. Although 

 this wound had grown over, it left a large abscess in the tor- 

 toise, the odor from which in skinning was anything but 

 pleasant. 



August 31, 1906. — Skinned tortoises collected by the natives 

 and brought to the house at Vilamil. I am not sure of the 

 exact locality where these tortoises were secured. I saw some 

 brought down off the mountain, and most of them came from 

 there, but probably a dozen or so came from the coast. 



