Contributions to the anatomy of anthropoid apes / by Frank E. Beddard.
- Frank Evers Beddard
- Date:
- 1893
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Contributions to the anatomy of anthropoid apes / by Frank E. Beddard. Source: Wellcome Collection.
192/246 page 318
![All these specimens are extremely thick and heavy, in every respect different from the plastra of T. triserrata and T. sauzieri. The greatest width of fragment E is 38 cm. The fact that they have been found in the Mare aux Songes, together with the other Tortoise material, excludes the possibility of their having been introduced by Man. Tabular Comparison of the Forked Plastra D, E, F, G of Mauritius with Plastra of Aldabra Tortoises. (+ means agreement, — means difference.) T. elephantina. T. ponderosa. T. daudini. T. Tiololissa. Anterior end of plastron .... + + , most. — Double gnlars + + + + Pectoral impressions + +, most. _ Posterior plastral tuberosity .. + “1“ + T. sumeirei (PI. XLIV.).—The indigenous existence in Mauritius of Tortoises with a double gular and with a long forked plastron having been proved, it is quite within the range of probability that the solitary specimen which is still living in that island is a native and not an imported creature. Mr. Sauzier has given a description, with photographic views, of this specimen in ‘La Nature,’ no. 1016, 19 novembre, 1892, pp. 395-398, and he has distinguished it as Testudo sumeirei, in honour of M. Camille Sumeire, of Mauritius. Mr. Sauzier has presented to us several of the original photographs of this Tortoise, accompanied by the following notes :— “ Lors de la conquete de l’lle de France (Maurice), le 3 decembre 1810, il existait dans la cour des casernes de l’Artillerie, a Port Louis, une gigantesque tortue de terre, qui a fait partie du materiel laisse aux Anglais. “ Cette bete vit encore dans cette meme cour, dont les batiments ont ete convertis en mess pour les officiers. “ II est facile de voir, par son aspect general, qu’elle doit etre d’un grand age. Si, en 1810, d’apres les plus anciens habitants, elle avait attenue sa taille actuelle, ou peu apres, elle aurait pour moins deux siecles—ce qui ne l’empeche pas, bien qu’aveugle depuis quelques annees, de porter avec aisance sur sa carapace deux hommes repre- sen tants ensemble le poids de 150 kilos. “ II est a regretter que l’absence d’echelle [in the side-view photograph], ou mieux encore, d’un objet de comparaison, dans la photographie, ne permette pas d’apprecier exactement la taille de cette gigantesque tortue, dont on ne connait pas le lieu d’origine.” When walking this Tortoise stands 63*5 cm. high, leaving 15*5 cm. between the ground and the plastron; its carapace is grey and measures in its “ grande circonfe- rence” 259 cm. = 8 feet 6 inches, and 213 cm. “ de circonference en largeur.” The](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28141386_0192.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
