4IO GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO chap. 



together. They were at this time (October) laying their eggs. 

 The female, where the soil is sandy, deposits them together, and 

 covers them up with sand ; but where the ground is rocky she 

 drops them indiscriminately in any hole : Mr. Bynoe found seven 

 placed in a fissure. The egg is white and spherical ; one which 

 I measured was seven inches and three-eighths in circumference, 

 and therefore larger than a hen's ^gg. The young tortoises, as 

 soon as they are hatched, fall a prey in great numbers to the 

 carrion - feeding buzzard. The old ones seem generally to die 

 from accidents, as from falling down precipices : at least, several 

 of the inhabitants told me that they had never found one dead 

 without some evident cause. 



The inhabitants believe that these animals are absolutely 

 deaf; certainly they do not overhear a person walking close 

 behind them. I was always amused when overtaking one of 

 these great monsters, as it was quietly pacing along, to see 

 how suddenly, the instant I passed, it would draw in its head 

 and legs, and uttering a deep hiss fall to the ground with a 

 heavy sound, as if struck dead. I frequently got on their backs, 

 and then giving a few raps on the hinder part of their shells, 

 they would rise up and walk away ; — but I found it very 

 difficult to keep my balance. The flesh of this animal is 

 largely employed, both fresh and salted ; and a beautifully 

 clear oil is prepared from the fat. When a tortoise is caught, 

 the man makes a slit in the skin near its tail, so as to see 

 inside its body, whether the fat under the dorsal plate is thick. 

 If it is not, the animal is liberated ; and it is said to recover 

 soon from this strange operation. In order to secure the 

 tortoises, it is not sufficient to turn them like turtle, for they 

 are often able to get on their legs again. 



There can be little doubt that this tortoise is an aboriginal 

 inhabitant of the Galapagos ; for it is found on all, or nearly 

 all, the islands, even on some of the smaller ones where there 

 is no water ; had it been an imported species this would hardly 

 have been the case in a group which has been so little 

 frequented. Moreover, the old Bucaniers found this tortoise in 

 greater numbers even than at present : Wood and Rogers also, 

 in 1708, say that it is the opinion of the Spaniards that it is 

 found nowhere else in this quarter of the world. It is now 

 widely distributed ; but it may be questioned whether it is in 



