96 
REPTILIA. 
been effaced. Dr. Gunther has now been able to add these two plates. 
A few new species are described. The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. 
Erebus and Terror, &c. ii. Reptiles (conclusion), London ; 1876, 4to, 
pp. 9-19, pis. i.-xx. (v. & vi. new). 
CHELONIA. 
Gunther, A. Description of the Living and Extinct Races of Gigantic 
Land-Tortoises. Parts i. & ii. Introduction, and the Tortoises of 
the Galapagos Islands. Phil. Tr. clxv. pp. 261-284, pis. xxxiii.-xlv. 
The author has examined an extensive series of the remains of tor- 
toises from the islands of Mauritius and Rodriguez, and compared them 
with the tortoises found in the Galapagos group, arriving at the following 
remarkable results 
1. Mauritius and Rodriguez were formerly inhabited by several species 
of gigantic Tortoises, the Rodriguez species differing more markedly 
from those of Mauritius than these latter among themselves. All these 
species appear to have become extinct in modern times. 
2. These extinct Tortoises of the Mascarenes are distinguished by a flat 
cranium, truncated beak, and a broad bridge between the obturator foramina. 
3. The recent examples in museums, apparently derived from Aldabra, 
have a convex cranium, trenchant beak, and a narrow bridge between the 
obturator foramina, and are therefore specifically, if not generically, dif- 
ferent from the extinct Tortoises. 
4. On the other hand, there exists the greatest affinity between the 
extinct Mascarene Tortoises, and those still inhabiting the Galapagos 
islands : the latter must be considered to be indigenous. 
In Part ii., the author describes the five species from the last-named 
archipelago, viz.: — Testudo elephantopus, Hark, pp. 261-267; T. nigrita, 
D. & B., pp. 267-271 ; T. epMppium, sp. n, (extinct), pp. 271-276 ; T. 
microphyes, sp. n., pp. 276 & 276 ; T. vicina^ sp. n., pp. 277-281. 
Part iii. will contain an account of the existing Tortoises of the Mas- 
carenes, and Part iv. that of the extinct species. 
Geoemyda depressusj sp. n., A. Anderson, Ann. N. H. (4) xvi. p. 284, 
Arakan. 
Sternothcerus. The skull figured by Gray in P. Z. S. 1873, p. 393, 
without a name, is that of S. niger^ D. & B., which has been received from 
• the Camaroons, W. Africa, probably its true locality, instead of Mada- 
gascar. W. Peters, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 112, and MB. Ak. Berk 1876, p. 196. 
’Trionyx nigricans^ sp. n., A. Anderson, Ann. N. H. (4) xvi. p. 284, 
Chittagong. 
Trionyx. A rectification of the synonymy of some of the Indian and 
Burmese species, and descriptions of T. grayi, p. 176, pk iii., Irawadi 
Valley, and T. ephippium, p. 177, p. 6, figs, a-c, Tenasserim, spp. nn. 
Also remarks on Gray’s genus Aspilus. T. ocellatus, Buch. Hamilt., and 
T.phayrii^ Theob., are figured, pi. iv. W. Theobald, P. A. S. B. 1876, 
pp. 170-179. 
Remarks on the coloration of the young of Trionyx. J. Wood-Mason, 
1. 0. p. 179. 
