THE VOYAGE OP THE BEAGLE 



407 



times ; so that when the people hear this noise, they know 

 that the two are together. They were at this time (October) 

 laying their eggs. The female, where the soil is sandy, de- 

 posits them together, and covers them up with sand; but 

 where the ground is rocky she drops them indiscriminately 

 in any hole : Mr. Bynoe found seven placed in a fissure. The 

 egg is white and spherical ; one which I measured was seven 

 inches and three-eighths in circumference, and therefore 

 larger than a hen's egg. The young tortoises, as soon as they 

 are hatched, fall a prey in great numbers to the carrion- 

 feeding buzzard. The old ones seem generally to die from 

 accidents, as from falling down precipices: at least, several 

 of the inhabitants told me, that they never found one dead 

 without some evident cause. 



The inhabitants believe that these animals are absolutely 

 deaf; certainly they do not overhear a person walking close 

 behind them. I was always amused when overtaking one of 

 these great monsters, as it was quietly pacing along, to see 

 how suddenly, the instant I passed, it would draw in its head 

 and legs, and uttering a deep hiss fall to the ground with a 

 heavy sound, as if struck dead. I frequently got on their 

 backs, and then giving a few raps on the hinder part of their 

 shells, they would rise up and walk away; — but I found it 

 very difficult to keep my balance. The flesh of this animal is 

 largely employed, both fresh and salted; and a beautifully 

 clear oil is prepared from the fat. When a tortoise is caught, 

 the man makes a slit in the skin near its tail, so as to see 

 inside its body, whether the fat under the dorsal plate is 

 thick. If it is not, the animal is liberated and it is said to 

 recover soon from this strange operation. In order to secure 

 the tortoise, it is not sufficient to turn them like turtle, for 

 they are often able to get on their legs again. 



There can be little doubt that this tortoise is an aboriginal 

 inhabitant of the Galapagoes ; for it is found on all, or nearly 

 all, the islands, even on some of the smaller ones where there 

 is no water; had it been an imported species, this would 

 hardly have been the case in a group which has been so little 

 frequented. Moreover, the old Bucaniers found this tortoise 

 in greater numbers even than at present : Wood and Rogers 

 also, in 1708, say that it is the opinion of the Spaniards, that 



