FROM CARLISLE TO THE OHIO 251 



The whole region about Fort Pitt is hilly, but these 

 are fertile hills, of good soil, excellent meadows, and 



Its habitat is in swamps. The third sort is in coloring simi- 

 lar to the first, the upper armor flecked brown and yellow, a 

 keel-shaped elevation along the middle of the back; but all 

 three varieties are lozenge-streaked, with shading at the mid- 

 dle of the figure. The breast-shield of the third is white; but 

 the seams of the different parts of the shell are arranged un- 

 like those of the second. Its habitat is preferably the creeks 

 and streams near the coast; this is probably the Test. Caro- 

 lina L.? These three distinct species are often confused 

 under the name Terrapins, but especially the two first The 

 coloring and distinctive marks of the young of these turtles 

 seem to me to be very variable, and likely this is often the 

 cause of many errors in determining the species where so 

 little is accurately known of the several characteristics. 

 Hence it would redound to the credit of the North American 

 naturalists if they gave attention to the history of these ani- 

 mals of which, in the southern provinces alone, they have 

 examples continually before them. I am convinced that still 

 other new species may be found in the more southern prov- 

 inces of North America or at least corrections of former ob- 

 servations might be made. In addition, as material for a de- 

 sirable contribution to the history of the turtle, there appear 

 every summer in America the three West Indian sea-turtles, 

 the Green, the Hawk's-bill and the Loggerhead. And finally, 

 there is seen on the American coast the Trunk-turtle (Test, 

 coriacea L.). In August 1779 one of this sort was taken in 

 the harbor of Rhode Island; it was already cut up when I 

 got news of it. It weighed almost 600 pounds, and from the 

 point of the head to the tail was five and a half feet long. 

 The shell was covered with a tight, smooth, blackish skin, not 

 too firmly stretched to be moved about here and there. Along 

 the back there were five raised callosities, dividing the surface 

 into flat compartments. In the circumstances at that time this 

 was a welcome catch ; the meat was dispensed in pounds at a 

 shilling sterling and was devoured, and although uncommonly 

 fat the taste of it was much inferior to that of the green 

 turtle. 



