1889.J Gigantic Land Tortoises. 104 1 
" belongs to the Museum of Science and Arts, Edinburgh." 
According to Dr. Giinther nothing is known of its history. 7! 
ephippinm very much resembles T. ahingdonii not only in the 
shell, but also in the skull and the slender fore-limb, and it seems 
to me that it really represents this species. Some notes in Cap- 
tain Basil Hall's Journal,^ which were omitted by Dr. Giinther, 
give a very strong support to this belief 
Captain Basil Hall visited the Galapagos Islands in January, 
1822. On Abingdon Island, the only island visited, experiments 
were made with an invariable pendulum. Speaking of the tortoises, 
Captain Hall says : " We took some on board, which lived for 
many months, but none of them survived the cold weather off 
Cape Horn. I preserved one in a cask of spirits, and it may now 
be seen in the Museum of the College at Edinburgh : it is about 
the medium size." (Italics are mine.) The following measure- 
ments of a tortoise weighing 190 pounds are given. 
" Length of upper shell, 43 
Breadth of ditto, 44 >^ 
Length of belly shell, 29 
Breadth of ditto, 26 
Length of the head, 6^^ 
Greatest breadth, 4>^ 
.Ditto depth, , • 3^4 
Greatest extent of upper and lower mandible, . 3^4 
Distance of eye from nose, . • • • ^ /3 
Length of neck, 3^ 
Circumference about the middle of the neck, . 9 
From fore part of upper shell to the fore part of 
belly shell, ' ^ >^ 
From after part of upper shell to the after part 
of belly shell, 7 ^ 
Length of fore-leg and thigh, . . • • 22>'2 
Circumference above the foot, . • ■ - ^h 
