No. 45.— 1894.] TESTUDO IN the museum. 



129 



Testudo elgans is found from Scinde throughout India 

 to Ceylon. In this Island it is common in all the dry districts, 

 commencing about Puttalam, extending north to Jaffna, and 

 running all along the east coast southwards to Hambantota, 

 If we take specimens Nos. land 2 as normal — and they agree 

 fairly well with the excellent figures given by Dr. 

 Boulenger in the " Fauna of British India " — a very slight 

 examination will show that although no one would separate 

 them as distinct species, they vary considerably. In No. 2 the 

 lumps are not so developed, the concentric striae are more 

 strongly marked, and the yellow streaks are more numerous 

 and better developed. If we place No. 6 beside No, 2, the 

 great difference between them strikes us immediately, and if 

 No. 5 did not form a connecting link, no one would hesitate 

 to say that it was a distinct species. It differs from the 

 diagnosis as given by Dr. Boulenger in the first vertebral 

 being no longer than broad, and in the third being much 

 narrower than the corresponding costal ; the ground colour 

 of the carapace is brownish yellow, the radiating yellow 

 rays being only indicated by broken black markings ; but a 

 comparison with No. 2 shows much greater differences than 

 indicated by this diagnosis. The areolar spaces are very large, 

 whilstthe concentric striae are reduced to four or five in number 

 and very strongly marked. In No. 5 the third vertebral shield 

 is also much shorter than the third costal, but the first vertebral 

 is much longer than broad, thus agreeing with the diagnosis. 

 The areolae are much the same as in No. 6 ; the concentric 

 striae are almost half-way between No. 2 and No. 6. The 

 areolae are more dotted with black than in No. 6, and although 

 the yellow rays are not quite so much developed as in No. 2, 

 they agree very well with No. 4, the largest of our speci- 

 mens. But to leave no doubt upon the subject, if we look 

 at the plastrons of the six specimens, we shall see that no two 

 are exactly alike in form or colour, and that whilst No. 5 and 

 No. 6, which are very much alike, differ a good deal from the 

 normal pattern, as represented by No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, they 

 do not differ more than No. 4. 



