228 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
mountains, or from injuries received otherwise, or from the course 
of nature, their shells become very rough, and peal off in large 
scales, which renders them very thin and easily broken. Those 
of James’ Island appear to be a species entirely distinct from those 
of Hood’s and Charles’ Islands. The form of the shell of the lat¬ 
ter is elongated, turning up forward, in the manner of a Spanish 
saddle, of a brown colour, and of considerable thickness ; they are 
very disagreeable to the sight, but far superior to those of James’ 
Island in point of fatness, and their livers are considered the great¬ 
est delicacy. Those of James’ Island are round, plump, and black 
as ebony, some of them handsome to the eye ; but their liver is 
black, hard when cooked, and the flesh altogether not so highly 
esteemed asthe others. 
The most of those we took on board were found near a bay on 
the N.E. part of the island, about 18 miles from the ship, and 
among the whole only three were male, which may be easily known 
by their great size, and from the length of their tails, which are 
much longer than those of the females. As the females were 
found in low sandy bottoms, and all without exception were full 
of eggs, of which generally from 10 to 14 were hard, it is presu¬ 
mable that they come down from the mountains for the express 
purpose of laying; and this opinion seems strengthened from the 
circumstance of there being no male tortoises among them, the 
few we found having been taken a considerable distance up the 
mountains. One remarkable peculiarity in this animal is, that the 
blood is cold. I shall leave it to those better acquainted with na¬ 
tural history to investigate the cause of a circumstance so extra¬ 
ordinary ; my business is to state facts, not to reason on them. 
The temperature of the air of the Gallapagos Islands varies 
from 72° to 75° ; that of the blood of the tortoise is always 
After the most fflligent search, no appearance of fresh water could 
be found in the neighbourhood of the place where the tortoises 
were taken, although some of the seamen searched* to a conside¬ 
rable distance from the sea-shore ; and yet each of these animals 
had in its stomach or reservoir from one to two gallons, of a taste 
by no means disagreeable, and such as thirst would readily induce 
any person to use ; and from this circumstance, as well as from the 
