TRAVELS IN 
*80 
George, and communicating with St. Juan’s by a 
river * ; its confluence above the lower ftore at the 
Little Lake. 
Obferved as we palled over the fame hills, the 
dens of the great land tortoife, called gopher : this 
flrange creature remains yet undefcribed by hifto- 
rians and travellers. The firlt ligns 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 fand hills. When arrived 
at its greatefi: 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 fubltance, confifting 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 
five 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 connedfed toge- 
ther by a very ridgy horny cartilage, which ferves 
as hinges for him to fhut up his body within his 
fhell at pleafure. The fore part of the belly fhell 
towards its extremity is formed fomewhat like a 
fpade, extends forward near three inches, and is 
about an inch and an half in breadth ; its extremity 
is a little bifid , the pofterior divifion of the belly 
fhell is like wife protended backwards confiderably, 
ft V ™ 
and is deeply bifurcated. 
The legs and feet are covered with fiat horny 
fquamae ; he feems to have no clefts in therm or 
toes, but long flattifh nails or talons, fomewhat in 
Great Ockli-Waha. 
refemhlance 
