of the Galapagos Tortoise. 447 



of our specimens which we know to have come from the 

 Galapagos Islands, though it is strongly marked in a 

 small shell in the Cabinet, which otherwise corresponds 

 with this species. Dimensions of the female as follows : 

 length of the upper shell, following the curve, three and 

 a half feet, breadth of the same four feet two inches, ver- 

 tical diameter seventeen inches, and lateral, two and a half 

 feet; circumference of upper shell, not following the edge 

 seven feet two inches ; length of head and neck, one foot, 

 of head alone six inches, and breadth four and a half 

 inches; length of anterior extremity from sixteen to seven- 

 teen inches ; of posterior, seventeen to eighteen ; longest 

 nail on hind foot two inches. Tail very short and thick, 

 scarcely extending as far backwards as the upper shell ; 

 not corneous at tip ; that of the male considerably longer. 

 Skin of head dark brown, thin and not at all lax as in Dr. 

 Harlan's specimen ; that of neck and greater part of ante- 

 rior extremities is of a dirty brownish color, thin, rugous, 

 and quite lax ; on the palmar face of the fore-arms It be- 

 comes thicker, darker and granulated, on the dorsal face 

 of the fore-arms and feet, and on the soles of the feet, it 

 is nearly or quite black, exceedingly thick and dense and 

 almost horny in structure ; it is made up of protulierances 



lameter 



soies oi tne leet quite nat, tor tne most part of a very 

 regular five or six sided form, and separated by deep 

 fissures ; those on the back of the feet and fore-arms are 

 convex and rather oblong ; on the radial edge of the 

 elbow and over the lower end of the ulna in front are two 

 of them which measure one and three fourth inche? by 

 three fourths. Skin of the posterior outlet and extremi- 

 ties generally, resembles that of the anterior.— The form 

 of the feet which has furnished Dr. Harlan with so exnres- 



