New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-08

DIFFICULTIES OF INSTALLING AN AGED
GALAPAGAN REPTILE IN THE
LONDON ZOO"
From The London Standard.

From The London Standard
To Walter ROthschild who has purchased the
gigantic reptil" and deposited il in the tor
t"lS"-house At the Geological Gardens the public
Will be indebted for the sipht ~ What is so far
a is known. the last living specimen Of the
GalapaEan tortoise Crestudo Galapaeensis). The
animal was brought away from Chatham Island
in lNi:; by Captain Porter Of the United States
cruiser Essex, and given by him 10 the native
chiefs Of Karatonga. where it remained till ISL.
when I;"tunah. the then head chief. presented it
To Captain Macdonald. who took ii to sydney.
and from whose widow Mr. Rothschild pur-
chased it,
The new arrival is very little. If any larger
than the gigantic Daudin's tortoise ,Tcstudo
DaudinD deposited by Mr.. Isothschd last July.
the carapace Of which taped over four feet in
straight line. and more than five feet the
curve; but it is considerably heavier. the rca
tive weights being eight and half and six
hundred weight respectively. There is great diff
ference in the color and shape Of the carapacA
or shell that II Daudin's being light and that VI
the Galapagan tortoise nearly black The latter
is much the younger reptile being only about a
hundred and thirty years old while the years Of
Daudin's tortoise are probably nearer three CEN
turtles than two There was still few years ago
IA female Of the t;alapagan tortoise living at
Sydney. and when she died her remains we're
acquired for the museum of that city.
This new tortoise was shipped from Sydney
by the Peninsular and Oriental mail steamship
Occana which arrived at Plymouth on Sunday
morning. little overdue having experienced 4
heavy northcastcrly gale all the way from Glib
Thltdf. ! ne tdSk ol IifSI'lliU- tH' t"it'iS' l"
the Gardens was successfully accomplished by
Arthur Thomson. the society's head keeper
though when he boarded the mailb0at on sun
lay morning fears were expressed by the cap
tain that the animal was dead or in a moribund
condition. Mr. Thomson's suggestion that the
crate containing the tortois" should be put into
the engine room and brought round 10 London
was not faVorably received. So there was nothing
for it but to bring the animal ashore in the
tender.
Another difficulty presented itself on arriving
at the Great Western Railway station. where it
was found that the crate was too large To z"
into the guards van The animal was trans
fcrrcd to the van. surrounded with footwarmers
and covered with tarpaulin To protect 1t from
the cod while the crate was put upon Il truck
AZ Bristo, II fresh supply OF frotwarmcrS. when
had been telegraphcd for. was ready ana thes"
were EXCHANGED for those that were growing
cold The news Of the arrival of the tortoise
had spread from the station. and the up-plat-
form vas crowded with persons anxious To catch
a glimpse Of the animal AT Paddington. where
il arrived about 10 p. m. the socioty's van was
waiting and the tortoise. having been replaced
I'm it's crate was hOsted in. and driven of to the
Gardens Here a number of keepers were walt
ing and willing hands soon moved the crat"
mounted on rollers. as near as possible 10 the
tortoise house and hence. by dim lamplight. IN"
reptile was transferred to its new home for
some lime after its arrival il felt the effect or
the cold il had suffered. but it gradually revived
in the warm atmosphere of the house and last
night IL was moving about quite briskIy Tor 81
hing. n beast apparently none the worse for It's
stormy passage across the Bay of Bscay
I'm. English writer mis.normei more than twenty
yblols ~ this species * indeed extremely
rre ar, now Francisco their way to bc added
to Mr. Rohschlis collect n-'fh