174 POPULAR OFFICIAL GUIDE. 



and by means of a hinge across the middle of the plastron, 

 or lower shell, to close it tightly. 



The Tortoise and Lizard Yards. — At the eastern end of the 

 Reptile House is a commodious glass-roofed hall, opening 

 into a series of sandy yards. This installation is occupied 

 by the collection of tortoises and the larger tropical lizards. 

 These reptiles do better in captivity, and show to best ad- 

 vantage, if given outdoor sunlight and plenty of room for 

 exercise. 



The Giant Tortoises are among the most interesting of 

 living reptiles. There are fourteen distinct species, all be- 

 longing to the genus Testudo. These creatures appear to be 

 survivors of the reptilian ages when reptiles attained colossal 

 proportions. Fossil remains of the great tortoises show 

 these creatures to have formerly inhabited the continents, 

 but the survivors are restricted to isolated groups of small 

 islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Six species inhabit 

 the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Four are found 

 in the Aldabra Islands in the Indian Ocean, and four in- 

 habit the Mauritius-Rodriguez group of Islands. All the 

 species are rapidly becoming extinct. Recent expeditions 

 to the Galapagos Islands have reported that very few Giant 

 Tortoises now survive in those islands. 



The Giant Tortoises are entirely herbivorous. The speci- 

 mens exhibited consume great quantities of green food, 

 which varies in kind according to the season's supply. Dur- 

 ing the summer months they feed largely upon melons. 



Among the species exhibited is Testudo vicina, repre- 

 sented by our largest specimen, captured in the Galapagos 

 Islands. It weighs slightly over two hundred and twenty- 

 five pounds. Another example from the same islands repre- 

 sents Testudo nigrita, a smaller and flatter species. Testudo 

 elephantine, the Elephant Tortoise, is represented by a large 

 specimen from the Aldabra Islands, which is growing 

 rapidly. The latter tortoise has a very high shell, and pro- 

 portionately small head. 



The Gopher Tortoises, (Testudo Carolina) , are large, thick- 

 shelled, clumsy creatures, which burrow in holes in the 

 sandy southern regions where they live. Once they were 

 common in southern Florida, but their edibility has resulted 

 in a great decrease in their abundance. 



The South American Tortoise, (Testudo tabulata), is a 

 good representative of the smaller tortoises from various 

 parts of the world. It is common throughout tropical 



