ALDABEA GIANT TORTOISES. 



CHAPTEE VII 



Birds, Tortoises, and Molluscs of the Mascarene, Comoro, and 



Seychelle Islands 



To the eastward and northward of Madagascar are several groups of small islands 

 which collectively form the Mascarene zoological province. The Mascarenes, or 

 Mascarenhas, themselves are situated to the east of the great island, and include 

 Reunion (Bourbon), Mauritius, which is considerably larger than either of the 

 other two, and Rodriguez. To the north-westward of Madagascar are the small 

 islands of North and South Aldabra ; and due north-east of these, at a longer 

 distance, lie first the small Amirantes, and farther on the Seychelles, which are 

 larger. Almost midway between the northern point of Madagascar and the 

 Mozambique coast, although nearer to the latter than to the former, are the islands 

 of the Comoro group, situated at the head of the Mozambique Channel. 



One of the Seychelles is famous as being the source of the wonderful "double 

 cocoanuts," or coco-de-mer, which are found floating in the Indian Ocean, and the 

 origin of which was for years unknown. They are the product of a palm 

 (Lodoicea sechellarum) which grows only in a few sheltered valleys in this island. 



