432 ' CHE L ONI A. - 



Caouana caretta, Gray, Catal. Tort. Croc. & Amphisb. Brit. Mus. 1844, 52 ; &, 

 Catal. Shield. Rept. Brit. Mus, 1855, 72. 



Chelonia ruppeliif Grat, Brit. Mus. 



Testiidim's marinae puUus, Seba, Thes. Nat. I, 1734. Tab. Lxxiv, fig. 4. 



Tcstudo pedihus pinniformis, &c. Gronov. Zoophjl. 1781, 71. 



Tortue Kahouane, DuTERT. Hist. nat. Antil. II, 1662, 228. 



La Caouane, Labat, Voy. Aux Isles de I'Amer. 1, 1722, 304 & 308.— Lacep. Quadr. 

 Ovip. I, 1788, 95.— Cuv. Mgu. Anim. II, 1817, 13; 2d ed. II, 1829, 14; &, ed. 

 illustr. Rept. 20.— Temm. & Schleg. in Sieb. Faun. Japon. Erpet. 1838, 23. 



MeerschildJcrdte, Meter, Zeitvertr. I, 1748. Tab. xxX & xxxi. 



The Loggerhead turtle, Browne, Civ. & Nat. Hist. Jamaic. 1756, 465.— Catesb. Nat. 

 Hist. Carol. II, 1771, 40. Tab. xl. 



The Mediterranean tortoise, Brown, New Illustr. Zoolog. 1776, 116. Tab. xlviii, 

 fig. 5. 



Testuggine di mare, Cetti, Stor. di Sardegna, III, 1777, 12. 



Caguana, Parra, Descr. Hist. nat. 1787. Tab. Xliii. 



La Tortue nasicorne, Lacep. Quadr. Ovip. I, 1788, 103.— Bonnat. Encycl. meth. 

 Erp6t. 1789, 21. PI. in, fig. 3. 



La Tortue caouane, BoNNAT. Encycl. meth. 1789, 20.^Bosc, in Nouv. Diet, d'hist, 

 nat. XXXIV, 1819, 256. 



Rhinoceros turtle, Shaw, Gen. Zool. Ill, 1, 1802, 95. Tab. xiv. 



Observ. — There are various opinions entertained regarding the 

 specific identity or diiference between the Loggerhead Turtles of the 

 Mediterranean Sea, and the eastern coast of the Atlantic, and those 

 occurring on the western or American coast of that ocean. That 

 they may cross the expansion of water just alluded to, is plausible; 

 for they have been met with in the open sea. Still, the question 

 recurs as to whether we have the same species on the American 

 side, as on the European ? It will take a long series of investiga- 

 tions to solve the problem, since it will become necessary to collect 

 extensively, and study them very closely, in either places, and after- 

 wards compare the specimens at various stages of growth. 



Not having any other specimen at hand, except the one brought 

 from Madeira, we are not prepared to institute any comparisons 

 towards the elucidation of this subject. We have restored to it the 

 oldest name given to the Loggerhead of the Mediterranean, which is 

 also the oldest bestowed upon the species : so that if it is ever satis- 

 factorily shown that the " Caouane" of the West Indies is of a dif- 

 ferent species, the name of Thalmsochelys caouana is the one that 

 will properly revert to it. Then we would have two genuine species 

 in the genus, and two only; for, we propose to show, further on, that 

 the Loggerheads of the Pacific, Chelonia olivacea and C, dussumieri, 



