TESTUDO TABULATA. 
of T tabulata of Wallbaum and of Schcepff, which is the adult animal, — and of 
71 Hercules of Spix, and 71 Polyphemus of D audio and Gray, in which the shell 
has become more extended posteriorly, and the plates smoothed by age. The 
examination of the animal in either of these stages by its description in any 
other, would necessarily lead to this multiplication of species; but the posses¬ 
sion of many specimens of all ages has enabled me to trace the gradual 
changes which the animal undergoes, and to ascertain their absolute identity. 
Mr. Gray has indeed followed Daudin in considering the Gopher of Bartram 
as a distinct species; but I have been assured by the Prince of Musignano, 
who has had great opportunities of examining that Tortoise in its native 
country, that it is certainly the same; and he has adopted, for the present 
species, the specific name Polyphemus in his catalogue of the Testudinata of 
North America and of Europe, appended to his “ Osservazioni sulla seconda 
edizione del Regno Animale del Barone Cuvier,” in which he gives the name 
tabulata as a synonym. 
Notwithstanding the authority of Mr. Gray to the contrary, I cannot help 
believing that the long-disputed Testudo sulcata of Shaw, figured by Miller in 
the Cimelia Physica, may be this species. In this opinion I am supported by 
the habitat assigned to it by Shaw, who says, “ This species is said to be a native 
of the West Indies, and perhaps may be the Hicatee of Brown, slightly de¬ 
scribed in his History of Jamaica.” And he concludes by this observation; 
“ Upon the whole, I cannot avoid entertaining a suspicion that this Tortoise 
may be in reality the same as T. tabulata .” The general appearance of the 
shell as well as of the head, bears a very great resemblance to the present 
animal; and the errors in the drawing, supposing this opinion to be correct, 
are not greater than occur in many other instances in similar works. 
On the other hand it appears from the supplementary portion of Mr. Gray s 
Synopsis, that he has seen, in the museum of Frankfort, two specimens of a 
tortoise, which he agrees with Dr. Ruppell in considering “ as the long-lost 
T. sulcata of Shaw.” These specimens were brought from Abyssinia by Dr. 
Ruppell. May they not possibly be a variety of T pardalis ? As I have 
not had the advantage of a personal inspection of the specimens, I feel unwill¬ 
ing to be more decided on a point involved in such doubt and obscurity. 
