TESTUDO. 



*.me. The count de Cepcde fuppofes this fpecies to be the 

 Terrapin of Dampicr, which that navigator rcprcfcnts as 

 very beautifully variegated, and as delighting in moid and 

 marfliy places ; adding, that its flcfh is efteemed as a food, 

 and that it is foinid in plenty on the coalls of the Pine iflands, 

 between the continent of America and Cuba : they are found 

 in the forefts, where they areeafdy taken : tlie hunters mark 

 them on the fhield, and let them wander about the woods ; 

 being fwre to find them again at no great diftancc, every one 

 cafily recognizing his own property, and afterwards can-y- 

 ing them to Cuba. Shaw. 



PusiLLA ; Little Tortoife. With fub-digitated feet, and 

 hemifpheric fliell, with convex, trapezial Icutella, ftriatcd 

 on the margin, and punftated on the difl<. This is the 

 African land tortoife of Edwards, and thus defcribed by 

 him from a fpecimen obtained from WeR Barbary. " The 

 iris of the eye is of a reddifli hazel colour ; the lips hard, 

 like the bill of a bird ; the head covered with fcales of a 

 )-ellowini colour ; the neck, hind legs, and tail, covered with 

 a flexible (Icin of a dirty flefh-colour ; the fore-legs covered 

 with yellow fcales on their outfides, which are partly ex- 

 pofed when the legs ai"e drawn in ; the (licll round, and 

 pretty much rifing on its upper fide, and flat beneath ; the 

 pieces or compartments are of a yellowifh colour, clouded 

 and fpotted with large and fmall irregular diiflcy or blackifli 

 fpots, and are alio furrowed or creafed, the creafes leflcning, 

 one within the other, till they reach the top or middle part 

 of each : the tail is thick, fcaly, and about an inch in length ; 

 and the vent is fituated within the tail itfelf near the bafe : 

 tliere are five claws on the fore-feet, and four on the hind, 

 all ftrong, black, rather bowed, and fliarp-pointed." This 

 fpecies is found at the Cape of Good Hope, and mucli re- 

 fembles the T. gneea. 



IxDICA. Tortoife with brov\m flicll, refleifled above the 

 neck, and marked with a tubercle on the three upper fcutella. 

 This is the great Indian tortoife, iirft defcribed by Perrault 

 in tlie " Hiftory of Animals," publiflied by the Royal 

 Academy of France ; and confounded by M. Cepede 

 with the T. grxca. It is found in India, on the coaft of 

 Coromandel, &c. Of this there arc two varieties, one 

 brought from the Cape of Good Hope, and another from 

 the Southern iflands. 



Sulcata. Tortoife with a tail, digitated feet, gibbofe 

 fhell, and fcutella lineated and circunifcribtd with a furrow ; 

 or tortoife with brown ovate flicll, with furrowed fcutella 

 yellow on each fide. This is one of the larger fpecies of 

 land tortoife, being about a foot or mure in length from the 

 nofe to the tip of the talL The fliell is very convex, and 

 has the general habit of the graca and gcometr'tra as to fliape. 

 This fpecies is faid to be a native of the Weft Indies, and 

 perhaps may be the " Hicatee" of Brown, defcribed in his 

 Hiftor)' of Jamaica. Dr. Shaw fuggefts that this fpecies 

 may be the fame with T. tabulata. 



Planairia. Tortoife with digitated feet, and fliell oval, 

 convex, and fmooth. Found at Surinam 



Americana Terrestri 

 fliell ; fcutella yello\s' in the middle of the diflc ; the margin 

 marked with fliining, black, furrowed, lateral polygons. 

 This . is conjeftured by Gmelln to be the .Taboti of the 

 Brafilians, and the cagado of the Portuguefe. Found in 

 South America. 



Tabulata. Tortoife with oblong, gibbofe, brown 

 /hell, with the fcutella of the diflv reftangular and fur- 

 rowed ; with ycllowifli centres. This was firft defcribed and 

 figured in Scba's " Thefaurus," and there faid to be a 

 native of Brafil, though it is believed to be rather an 

 African fpecies. The general length of the fliell is about 



5 



Tortoife with oval, gibbofe 



five or fix inches : fufpcctcd to be the fame fpccii'S with 

 T. fiilcata, fupra. Sliaw. 



Maroinata. Tortoife with blackifli-brown, oblong, 

 gibbofe fliell, variegated with yellow, widened and dc- 

 prefled on the hind part. The true native country of tills 

 Ipccies is not very diflinftly known. Mr. Scliccpf inclines 

 to think that it is an American fpecies. Cepcde lias con- 

 founded it with the T. grxca. Shaw. 



Radiata. Tortoife with ovate black fliell, and flattifh 

 fcutella radiated with yellow. This is the great chetpiered 

 tortoife-flull of Grcw's Muf. Reg. It has been concluded 

 by ioine perfons, from a general rcfemblance in the pattern 

 of the fliell, and a fimilarity in colours, that this is the fame 

 fpecies with T. geometrica, or a variety of it. But Dr. 

 Shaw has pointed out a variety of difl^eiences between them 

 and fuch as warrant our ftpting that the two fliells arc per- 

 fectly diftinft. Grew, who has defcribed this fpecies, 

 fays that its native country is Mad.agafcar ; but Dr. Shaw 

 iuggefls that it is alfo a native of .lamaica, and that in 

 charadlers and fi/e it agrees with the " Hicatee" tortoile 

 mentioned in Brown's Zoology. Shaw. 



RucosA. Tortoife wrinkled, with black wrinkled fliell, 

 mottled and variegated with yellow ; with the middle 

 dorfal pieces fubpanduriform or fiddle-fliaped. In the 

 Leverian mufeum there is a variety, or perhaps a fexur.1 

 difference of ttiis fpecies. 



Elegan.s. Tortoife with orbicular, convex, yellow fliell, 

 with tranfverfe, oval, brown fpots. Seba has defcribed it 

 under the name of the T. terreflris Ceilonica elegans minor. 

 Shaw. 



Areolata. Tortoife with moderately convex fliell, 

 with fubquadrangular, elevated, deeply furrowed fcutella, 

 and deprefled rough areolae. This is defcribed by Seba 

 under the appellation of T. terreflris Brafilienfis. 



Serrata. Tortoife with depren"ed yellowifli fliell, mi- 

 nutely freckled with duflty fpecks ; all the fcutella of the 

 difli carinated, and the hinder margin of the fliell ferrated. 

 This is fuppofijd by Dr. Shaw to be the T. fpengleri of 

 Gmelin's Linnean Syftcm. 



Tricarinata. Tortoife with oval, flightly convex, fliell, 

 with entire margin, and all the fcutella of the diflc carinated. 

 This fpecies agrees, in fliape and other particulars, with 

 LinuKus's defcriptlon of his T. orbicularis. Shaw. 



ScRlPTA. Tortoife with orbicular deprefled fliell, with 

 all the fcutella marked by varioufly-formed charadlers, and 

 the marginal pieces fpotted beneath. This is the T. fcabra 

 of Thunberg. Its native place is not afcertained. Shaw. 



Galeata. Tortoife with deprefled oval fliell, with the 

 three middle fcutella fliarply carinated, and twenty-four 

 marginal pieces. The native place of this fpecies is not 

 known ; but it was brought to Mr. Rctziua from India, 

 and lived two years kept in frefli water : it fubfilled on 

 bread, &c. and fometimes on flies. From the beginning of 

 Oftober to the middle of May it remained without food, 

 fcarcely elevating its head above the water. It delighted 

 in funfliine, and endeavoured to climb up the fides of the 

 veflel occafionally, in order to enjoy its influence. It is 

 doubtful, whether this be the T. fcabra of Linnaeus. It is 

 called galeata by Retzius, from the armed .or cataphraded 

 covering of the head. Shaw. 



Granulata ; Chagrin Tortoife. With orbicular, flat- 

 tifli, granulated flicll, with cartilaginous border. This 

 fpecies fecnis to be alhed to the T. ferox, having the fliield 

 furnlflied with a cartilaginous and flexible border. It is de- 

 fcribed by M. Cepede, and was brought from India by M. 

 Sonnerat. Shaw. 



Dr. Shaw, among the fea-tortoifes or turtles, has defcribed 



the 



