The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-08-28
Gigantic TOrtOises.

Living specimens of the gigantic lant
tortoises of the Mascarene Islands
rarely find their way to Europe, thu
difficulties in the way OF transportation
being SO very great. Recently, how
ever, a pair of them was brought tt
Europe in perfect health, and have
been secured for the Geological Gar
dens. Mr.. Salmon writes to Nature
Both the tortoises are natives of Aldabra
though not of the same breed. The
larger, the male, has been in the Sey.
chelles for about seventy years it's last
proprietor, M. Deny Calais, KEEP. it with
| the female in a semi domesticated state
on Cert Island. His weight is about
eight hundred pounds the length OF
the shell five feet five inches Tin a
straight line), the width five feet nine
inches circumference of the shell,
eight feet one inch !; circumference of
four leg, one foot eleven inches. and of
hind leg, one foot six inches length of
head and neck, one foot nine inches /;
much smaller, and we have no informa
ton as regards the time she was brought
to the Seychelles. The length of her shell
is three feet four inches, the width three
feet ten inches, the circumference five
feet four inches. She lays thrice every
year in the months of July, August,
and September, each time from fifteen
to twenty round hard-shelled eggs.
There is every reason to believe that
the laying of eggs will not be inter-
rupted by the transmission of the ami
mails to England. Every one who sees
these two tortoises side by side is at
once struck by the great difference in
form and sculpture of the shell That
OF the male is remarkable high, with a
rounded outline, each plate being raised
into hummock, and deeply sculptured
with concentric burrows along the mar
gins. The female, on the other hand.
has a perfectly smooth shell with an
oval outline, without either burrows or
raised portions. The shell of the male
is brownish, that of the female is black.
The male has also comparative longer
ne OK and tail than the female. 1t is
qu;et possible that these are sexual diff
ference, the males being known to grow
to much larger size than the females.
But as Aldabre consists of three islands,
separated by channels of the sea which
are impossible barriers to animals
which may float but cannot swim, it
may be presumed that the two animals
come from distinct islands, each island
u IA0 group UoiuS iuuAuitcu ny u us
tinct race, as in the Galapagos. The
male shows himself to be annoyed when
the female is disturbed, and there is no
doubt that he exhibits affection for her,
as was especially evident on board the
steamer, when he tried to break out of
his cage as soon as he got sight of the
female, who was transported in a sepa-
rate cage. The circumstance that tine
two animals are pair increases the
chances in favor oftheir being kept alive
for heightened period. The male is
doubt the largest and horsepower
full individual of it's race, far exceeding
in size any of the few other individuals
kept in the Seychelles. Nor is it likely
that in Aldabra itself similarly |
large example should have succeeded
in evading the search of the numerous
crews which have landed there. These
gigantic tortoises formerly existed in |
The Mascarene Islands in vast numbers,
but the species are now nearly extinct, |
owing to the destruction of them by |
,he crews of mercantile vessels.