Chelonia.

I. Chelodina longicollis.

The long-necked Tortoise.

This aquatic reptile is found in considerable numbers in the Murray and its tributaries. It affords food to the natives, especially during the summer, when the lagoons are dry, as it can page 25 then be procured in large numbers without difficulty. Their eggs, which are deposited in the beginning of January, amount to 15 or 20, perhaps even more, as the natives, who consume them in quantities, informed me.

Like all tortoises, the present species is very tenacious of life. On one occasion, a specimen was brought to the camp pierced by a spear: for the sake of experiment, it was put into a case, and kept for a few months, at the end of which, the wound was found completely closed, and the animal as lively as if nothing had happened to it.