File:Zoological lectures delivered at the Royal Institution in the years 1806 and 1807 (1809) (14775356161).jpg

Identifier: zoologicallectur21809shaw (find matches)
Title: Zoological lectures delivered at the Royal Institution in the years 1806 and 1807
Year: 1809 (1800s)
Authors: Shaw, George, 1751-1813 Mearns, Edgar Alexander, 1856-1916, former owner. DSI Royal Institution of Great Britain
Subjects: Zoology
Publisher: London : Printed for George Kearsley, by Thomas Davison
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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e than in other regions. It isfound in the scattered islands of the Aichipelago,and in Corsica and Sardinia. It also occurs inmany parts of Africa. In no branch of natural history have moreerrors prevailed than in that relating to the Tor-toise tribe, and more particularly with respect tothe true distinction of the species; the generalsimilarity being very great, and the individualsoccasionally varying much in size, colours, andother particulars, according to the different periodsof their growth, and their state of perfection.Their specific characters given by Linnaeus areproved, from later observations, to be entirely in-sufficient for the purpose of accurate distinction;and the same must be said of those in the Gme-linian edition of the Systema Naturae, The de-scriptions of Count de Cepede in his History ofOviparous Quadrupeds, have by no means tendedto dispel the general obscurity, but in some in-stances, have rather increased it. One observation I^lll ;#/^i ..» ^7 5V% .(fr •§.
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a^ Q ^^^^^■^^T Vi ,) LECTURE VII. 9 of Mr. Schoepf, a German author who has writtenon this subject, is particularly important, and maytend to save zoological students a great deal oftrouble; viz. that the apparent number of theclaws or projecting extremities on the feet of themarine Tortoises or Turtles, appears to be no cer-tain criterion of the species, but is found to varyin such a manner as to contradict the Linnieancharacters. Thus on collating a number of spe-cimens of the Testudo Mydas or common greenTurtle, some will be found with only a single clawon each foot, others with two, or even three, andothers with two on the fore-feet and one on thehind. It also appears that the same variationoccasionally takes place in the number of clawson the feet of some of the land-Tortoises, andparticularly in those of the Greek or commonTortoise, tlie more particular history of which Ishall now proceed to give in as few words as pos-sible. In its native regions it is said to make itsfirst a

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