THE GALAPAGOS TORTOISES. 291 
What vessel carried Harlan’s tortoises to Philadelphia may not be known. 
They may have been brought by the same expedition bringing those to 
New York, under Capt. David Porter, U.S. N., though no doubt there were 
numerous opportunities for transportation in the ten years or more elapsing 
after the visit of Porter and before Harlan’s date of publication. The references 
in the latter, mainly to Porter’s narrative, do not fix upon the donor, the time of 
arrival, or the island from which specimens were brought. Harlan’s descrip- 
tion applies to such forms as are compressed and narrowed above and in front 
of the shoulders, rather than to any of the others. The dimensions given 
correspond somewhat closely with those of the specimen figured below on Plates 
37, 38. The yellow blotches on the ‘‘under jaw and upper part of the throat” 
do not distinguish from the form described as Testudo ephippiwm Ginther, 
1875, and its closest allies. 
Harlan’s measurements in inches, are: 
Length of the back-plate, following the curvature 21.6 
Breadth of the back-plate, following the curvature 22.6 
Vertical diameter, or height of the animal 9 
Lateral diameter 14 
Circumference of the body 36 
Evidently Dr. Harlan had specimens other than his type under examination. 
For he says, p. 287, ‘‘The animal which is the subject of the present observations, 
is no doubt young, although larger than a similar species which lately lived for 
several months in the Philadelphia Museum. If we are permitted to judge 
from the shortness of the tail, and still less certain sign, the planeness of the 
sternum, our specimen is a female. Its weight is forty pounds.”” On page 292 
he remarks ‘‘The present specimen is living in the possession of Mr. Whitton 
Evans. For the drawings which accompany the description we are indebted 
to Dr. 8. G. Morton.” February 27, 1827, some months after the reading of 
his paper, September 5, 1826, the Museum recorded mention of the gift of a 
Testudo elephantopus from Richard Harlan, M. D., but did not state whether 
it was the type specimen, whether it was the one that had been in the possession 
of Mr. Evans, or whether it had been drawn by Dr. Morton. After the efforts 
of Giinther, Baur, Rothschild, Van Denburgh, and the authorities of the Phila- 
delphia Academy there are few grounds remaining for hope of tracing the type 
from recorded history. The only attempt in this article is made in comparisons 
of a specimen, probably of the same species, as nearly as may be of the size of 
the type with the description and the drawings. The specimen selected is 
