The inhabitants believe that these animals are absolutely deaf;
certainly they do not overhear a person walking close behind them. I
was always amused when overtaking one of these great monsters, as it
was quietly pacing along, to see how suddenly, the instant I passed, it
would draw in its head and legs, and uttering a deep hiss fall to the
ground with a heavy sound, as if struck dead. I frequently got on
their backs, and then giving a few raps on the hinder part of their
shells, they would rise up and walk away;--but I found it very
difficult to keep my balance. The flesh of this animal is largely
employed, both fresh and salted; and a beautifully clear oil is
prepared from the fat. When a tortoise is caught, the man makes a slit
in the skin near its tail, so as to see inside its body, whether the
fat under the dorsal plate is thick. If it is not, the animal is
liberated and it is said to recover soon from this strange operation.
In order to secure the tortoise, it is not sufficient to turn them like
turtle, for they are often able to get on their legs again.
There can be little doubt that this tortoise is an aboriginal
inhabitant of the Galapagos; for it is found on all, or nearly all, the
islands, even on some of the smaller ones where there is no water; had
it been an imported species, this would hardly have been the case in a
group which has been so little frequented. Moreover, the old Bucaniers
found this tortoise in greater numbers even than at present: Wood and
Rogers also, in 1708, say that it is the opinion of the Spaniards, that
it is found nowhere else in this quarter of the world. It is now
widely distributed; but it may be questioned whether it is in any other
place an aboriginal. The bones of a tortoise at Mauritius, associated
with those of the extinct Dodo, have generally been considered as
belonging to this tortoise; if this had been so, undoubtedly it must
have been there indigenous; but M. Bibron informs me that he believes
that it was distinct, as the species now living there certainly is.
The Amblyrhynchus, a remarkable genus of lizards, is confined to this
archipelago; there are two species, resembling
[picture]
each other in general form, one being terrestrial and the other
aquatic. This latter species (A. cristatus) was first characterized by
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