42 TABULAR TORTOISE. 



of four inches : the legs thick and bowed, and 

 spotted with red : the fore feet have five, and the 

 hind four broad and strong claws : the tail is thick 

 and conical, and about an inch in length: the 

 number of pieces on the disk is thirteen, and of 

 the margin twenty-three. It appears to vary 

 somewhat in colour ; perhaps from age, &c. Se- 

 ba's specimen is described as of a purplish colour, 

 with pale-red centres on the divisions. That de- 

 scribed by Retzius was blackish, with pale or 

 whitish centres ; and Mr. Schoepf 's is described 

 as deep brown, with pale orange or fulvous cen- 

 tres. The general length of the shell is about five 

 or six inches. When young, the furrows of the 

 pieces are much fewer than in the advanced ani- 

 mal ; and therefore it is not unreasonable to sup- 

 pose, that their number in this, and many other 

 species, bears some relation to the age of the ani- 

 mal, analogous to the concentric lamellae in the 

 wood of trees. Specimens of the shell of this Tor- 

 toise are preserved in the British and Leverian 

 Museums. 1 have, under the article 2\ Sulcata^ 

 expressed a suspicion that these two animals may, 

 in reality, belong to the same species : this, how- 

 ever, being not certain, I describe each as dis- 

 tinct : both are evidently terrestrial animals, as 

 appears from the form of their feet. 



