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
tortoises, 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.
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