OBSERVATIONS ON TESTUDO NIORITA — WAITE. 
90 
The Female Tortoise. 
As I learn from Dr. Sinclair, the female was brought to 
Sydney in 1853 by the American Whaler “ Winslow .' ” It was 
then but a baby and weighed 56 lbs.* No further observations 
appear to have been made until 1884, when the following figures 
were published by Dr. Oox {loo. cit.) : — 
Ft. in. 
Length, nose to tail (“no tail”)? ... ... 5 10£ 
„ shell ... ... ... ... ... 4 0 
„ across shell ... .. ... ... 5 0 
„ under shell ... ... ... ... 2 44, 
Girth 6 71- 
Front leg, round elbow ... ... ... ... 1 5 
Head, round ... ... ... ... ... 1 3 
In 1893 its weight was ascertained to be 368 lbs. About this date 
it was placed in a paddock with the male, and in September, 1895, it 
was found to have deposited six eggs in a rubbish heap. These eggs 
wero at once forwarded to the Museum, when 1 took the dimensions 
below recorded. The following measurements of the female wero 
made by me in April, 1896. In August of the same year 
this tortoise died, and as already stated, was forwarded to the 
Museum. The ovaries were in an enlarged condition, and it 
seems probable that had she lived, the tortoise would have again 
produced eggs. 
Carapace, 
mm. 
Ft. 
in. 
Length over curve 
. ... ... 
1195 
= 
3 
11 
„ in straight line 
... ... 
915 
= 
3 
0 
Width over curve 
. ... ... 
1295 
= 
4 
3 
„ in straight line 
Plastron. 
740 
== 
2 
5 
Length ... 
• • • • • , • 
775 
= 
2 
Width 
• , • • • • • 
740 
= 
2 
5 
Depth of concavity 
Caudal plate. 
43 
0 
If 
Length ... 
. ... ... 
115 
= 
0 
Width 
Weight, 320§ lbs. 
185 
0 
n 
The depression in the plastron, although much less than in the 
male, is yet very noticeable ; a feature scarcely realised by Dr. 
Gunther when writing his Monograph,! for lie regarded the type 
* See also — The Curator's Annual Report for 1897 : Report of the 
Trustees for 1897, p. 6. 
f Gunther — Gigantic Land Tortoises in the British Museum, 1877, 
p. 71. 
