TRAVELS IN 
x8o 
George, and communicating with St. Juan’s by a 
river*; its confluence above the lower ftore at the 
Little Lake. 
Obferved as we paflfed over the fand hills, the 
dens of the great land tortoife, called gopher: this 
ftrange creature remains yet undefcribed by hifto- 
rians and travellers. The firfl figns of this animal’s 
exiftence, as we travel Southerly, are immediately 
after we crofs the Savanna River. It is to be 
feen only on the high dry Sand hills. When arrived 
at its greateft magnitude, the upper fhell is near 
eighteen inches in length, and ten or twelve inches 
in breadth; the back is very high, and the fhell 
of a very hard bony fubftance, confiding of many 
regular compartments, united by futures, in the 
manner of the other fpecies of tortoife, and covered 
with thin horny plates. The nether or belly fhell 
is large, and regularly divided tranfverfely into 
live parts: thefe compartments are not knit toge- 
ther like the futures of the fkull, or the back fhell 
of the tortoife, but adhere, or are connebted toge- 
ther by a very ridgy horny cartilages which ferves 
as hinges for him to fnut up his body within his fhell 
at pleafure. The fore part of the belly fhell towards 
its extremity is formed fomewhat like a lpade, ex- 
tends forward near three inches, and is about an inch 
and an half in breadth; its extremity is a little bifid; 
the poflerior divifion of the belly fhell is likewife 
protended backwards confiderablv, and is deeply 
bifurcated. 
The legs and feet are covered with flat horny 
fquamm ; he feems to have no clefts in them or 
toes, but long flattifh nails or talons, fomewhat in 
* Great Ockli-Waha. 
refemblance 
