1054 The American Naturalist. [December, 
the Galapagos tortoises, every other animal food fell greatly in 
our estimation. These animals are so fat as to require neither 
butter nor lard to cook them, and their fat does not possess that 
cloying quality, common to that of mosu other animals. When 
fried out, it furnishes an oil superior in taste to that of the olive. 
The meat of this animal is the easiest of digestion, and a quantity 
of it exceeding that of any other food, can be eaten without 
experiencing the slightest inconvenience. But what seems the 
most extraordinary in this animal, is the length of time that it can 
exist without food ; for I have been well assured that they have 
been piled away among the casks in the hold of a ship, where 
they have been kept eighteen months, and when killed at the 
expiration of that time, were found to have suffered no diminution in 
fatness or excellence. They carry with them a constant supply 
of water, in a bag at the root of the neck, which contains about 
two gallons ; and on testing that found in those we killed on board, 
it proved perfectly fresh and sweet. They are very restless when 
exposed to the light and heat of the sun, but will lie in the dark 
from one year's end to the other without moving. In the daytime, 
they appear remarkably quick-sighted and timid, drawing their 
head into their shell on the slightest motion of any object ; but 
they are entirely destitute of hearing, as the loudest noise, even 
the firing of a gun, does not seem to alarm them in the slightest 
degree, and at night or in the dark they appear perfectly blind." 
In regard to the bag of water. Porter gives another statement (p. 
lOO.) He partly ascended a hill on Charles Island, and on his way 
back he found a large tortoise. It was opened, "with the hope of 
finding some water to allay our thirst. But we were disappointed 
— says he — in only finding a few gills, of a disagreeable-tasted 
liquid." The tortoises taken on James Island had in their stomach 
or reservoir from one to two gallons, of a "taste by no means 
disagreeable." It seems therefore that this " water reservoir" is 
not always filled. It was in August when Porter found the tor- 
toises on James Island full of eggs. We have seen above that 
Woodes Rogers relates, that the tortoises laid eggs on his ship in 
September. It seems therefore that the breeding time is in these 
two months. According to Porter the eggs " are perfectly round, 
