188 [October, 



FAMILIA QUARTA. 



Terrestres. Corpus scutatum. Sternum alatum, sutura laterali ossea, alarum 

 marginibus iortiter inflexis. Pedes clavati, ungulati ; scutum caudale nunquam 

 divisum, sed stria superiore perpendiculari fortiter impressa, qua in partes duas 

 secari videtur. 



1. Testudo. Alis scutellis addititiis nullis, scuto gulari in partes quatuor 

 diviso, dorso osse penultimo vertebrali V-formi. ChersiueMerr., Chersus Wagl., 

 Psammobates Fitz., Geochelone, Chelonoides et Cylindraspis eiusdem. 



2. Pyxis Bell. Sterno articulato, antice mobili. Alis scutellis addititiis 

 duobus. 



3. Homopi t s Dum. Sterno solido, alis scutello addititio anteriore ; unguibus 

 4-4. Cher sine Men*., Testudo Bell et aliorum. 



4. Kinyxis Bell. Sterno solido, alis scutellis addititiis duobus. Testa postice 

 articulata et mobili, scuto nuchali nullo. 



I add a list of American species of Testudinata, as far as they have yet been 

 described; many undoubtedly yet remain to be added to it, as few have been 

 received from Texas, California and Oregon. I have omitted the sea tortoises 

 because we know nothing about such as are found on our coasts. All the 

 synonyms which 1 have been able to collect are here set down. This will serve 

 to show the state in which the science of this branch of Herpetology is at present. 

 as tar as relates to our country. 



I have in the following Catalogue considered the Testudo polyphemus as the 

 T. Carolina of Linnaeus and Gmelin, and the T. Carolina of authors as the T. 

 clausa of the latter. My reasons are these : The original description in the 

 12th edition of the Syst. Naturae, vol. i. p. 352, is as follows : 



Testudo Carolina. Pedibus subdigitatis, testa gibba, cauda nulla. Test, 

 pedibus digitatis, calloso-squammosis ; testa ovali, subconvexa, scutellis planis, 

 striatis, medio punctatis. Gron. Zooph. 17, No. 77. T. tessellata minor caro- 

 liniana. Edw. Av. tab. 205, (undoubtedly the Clausa ;) Seba. Mus. 1 tab. 80 figs. 

 Test, major terrestris americana, (which is represented as 9 inches long.) 



To this Gmelin adds : Caput subobtusum, squammis obtusis undique tectum. 

 Pedes squammis orbicularis obtecti, antice unguibus 5 postice 4 subulatis, acu- 

 minatis validis armati. Cauda brevissima. Scutum ovale, subconvexum antice 

 lunulato-excisum margines acuti nee serrati. Scutella lata ad margines striis 

 cincta, centro punctis excavata. Sternum acuminato-truncatum postice bifidum. 

 Erasing the words in italics, this is a tolerable description of the large American 

 land tortoise, and Gmelin certainly had it in view when he made his addition to 

 the original description. His expression, "Sternum antice truncatum postice 

 bifidum," together with the scaly head, prove this. The scuta of young animals 

 of this species are deeply marked with concentric striae, and have a nearly 

 square area in the centre of each, which is deeply and coarsely punctate. The 

 name of Polyphemus which has been given to it, means nothing; that of Carolina 

 is much more fitting; and as for the other species which has been called Caro- 

 lina, nothing can be more appropriate than Clausa. 



It will be observed likewise that I have called the Cistudo Blandingii of Hol- 

 brook, Lutretnys meleagns. About the generic name there can be no dispute; 

 but as for the specific name, my reasons for referring it to a species already 

 described are these. The Testudo meleagris of Shaw, Naturalist's Miscpllany, 

 vol. iv. p. 144, has been considered as identical w r ith the Lutremys Europoea, 

 and is always quoted as a synonym of it. Shaw tells us that his animal came 

 from America; the other is, I believe, exclusively European. Both species are 

 remarkable for having the shell more or less covered with small yellow spots; 

 in the first these are irregularly scattered over the surface, in the latter they 

 regularly radiate from a centre on each scutum ; the shell is also less convex. 



