370 CHELONIA 



largest Morocco female, which has a shell 7 inches long, shows 

 at least 2 5 concentric rings of growth on the shields ; the 

 last half-dozen rings are very narrow, while some of those of the 

 central area have been rubbed down. This creature is not im- 

 XDrobably 30 years old. A small female, which is only Scinches 

 long, has already 14 rings on its still perfect shields. Lastly, a 

 little one, only 4 inches long, shows 7 rings. They grow fastest 

 when they are about 6 to 7 inches long, and they then seem to 

 be at their prime. White's tortoise, now enshrined in the 

 National Collection, was unusually large, the shell measuring 25 

 cm., or nearly 1 inches ; around the much -enlarged, rubbed- 

 down areola of each shield are about 30 very narrow rings. 



T. horsfieldi is easily recognised by its possessing only four 

 claws on the fore- and hind-limbs. It is closely allied to the 

 species last mentioned, which it seems to represent in the 

 sandy districts of Transcaspia and the Kirghiz Steppes to 

 Afghanistan. 



T. elegans, the " Starred Tortoise " of the southern half of 

 India and Ceylon, is easily recognised by the very convex cara- 

 pace without a nuchal shield, and by the beautiful markings of 

 the other shields, each of which has a yellow areola, whence radiate 

 yellow streaks upon a black ground. Moreover, the dorsal shields 

 often form humps. It reaches the length of one foot. Old 

 specimens lose the beautiful yellow radiation, owing to a con- 

 siderable amount of peeling off of the horny layers. 



The habits have been carefully watched by Captain Thomas 

 Hutton,^ who gives the following account. The tortoises live in 

 the grassy jungle at the base of the hills, but owing to their colour 

 being so Ijlended with the rocky nature of the ground, they are 

 with difficulty distinguished. Moreover, they remain concealed 

 beneath shrubs or grass during the heat of the day. In the 

 rainy season they are most active, wandering about aU day, 

 feeding and pairing. At the approach of the cold weather they 

 select a sheltered spot and conceal themselves by thrusting their 

 shell into some thick tuft of grass, remaining there in a sort of 

 lethargic, but not torpid, inactivity until the hot season, at 

 which time they remain concealed only during the heat of the 

 day, coming out about sunset to feed. 



During the hot season Hutton's captives often soaked them- 



^ /. Asiat. Sou. Bengal, vi. 1837, p. 689. 



