I040 The American Naturalist. [December, 
Galapagos tortoises (living), weighing near three hundred and 
twenty pounds each, were presented by Captain John Downes, of 
the Potomac, to the Boston Society of Natural History.^ These 
two tortoises formed the material for a very extensive paper on the 
anatomy of the Galapagos tortoises, by Dr. J. B. Jackson, which 
was printed in the first volume of the Journal of the Boston 
Society of Natural History, with two plates.^ This is the second 
work overlooked by Dr. Gunther. It is the best older scientific 
account of these tortoises. One of these specimens is still in the 
Museum of the Boston Society in form of a skeleton. The first 
thing to be done is to examine whether the two tortoises brought 
by the Potomac are really from Charles Island. As stated before, 
the Potomac visited only this island. In the appendix of Rey- 
nolds' book we find the following important note, p. 547. 
" A large number of the crew were daily on shore after terra- 
pin, and frequently exposed throughout the day to a hot sun, 
with these immense animals on their backs, travelling over the 
broken lava." This note proves, I think, that the two tortoises 
donated by the captain of the Potomac to the Boston Society 
were really from Charles Island. Besides that I believe that 
Darwin's remark in his journal, that on Charles Island the crew 
of a certain frigate took down to the shore 200 tortoises on a 
single day, some years before his visit in 1835, refers to the 
Potomac. Through the kindness of Prof A. Hyatt I have re- 
ceived for examination five skulls of Galapagos tortoises, among 
which is the skull of one of the animals presented by Captain 
Downs, and described by Dr. Jackson. This skull is different 
from any one described by Dr. Gunther. It agrees exactly with 
three smaller skulls received for examination through the kind- 
ness of Prof A. Heilprin from the Philadelphia Academy. 
After this it is evident that the T. cphippium of Gunther 
supposed to be the form from Charles Island, must have another 
locality. The question is, From which Island ? The type of T. 
ephippium is an adult male, thirty-three inches long, stuffed, and 
our. Bost.Soc. Nat. Hist., I., 1834-18,7. P 
•521. 
.B. Jackson, M.D.. Anatomical Descript 
1837- Jour. Bost. See. Nat. Hist., I., 183 
ion of the Galapagos 
7; pp. 443-464- PI- X., 
