46 CHELONIACARETTA. 



and covered with a granulated skin and minute flexible plates both above and 

 below. 



The anterior extremities are long and powerful, rounded at the shoulder, covered 

 with a tough skin and with a few scattered minute flexible plates, depressed and 

 flattened like a fin at the fore-arm, carpus and fingers, and covered with large 

 square pentagonal plates. A remarkable range of these exists along the an- 

 terior border; while the posterior margin is bordered with a loose fold of skin 

 capable of distention, in which are placed here and there large plates; in front 

 there are two spines or nails, corresponding with the two first fingers, and of these 

 the first is largest and often hooked. These nails vary in extent; sometimes they 

 are more than an inch long. The posterior extremities are much shorter, rounded 

 above, covered in like manner, and only become flattened like a paddle toward the 

 tarsus and toes, where alone are found large plates. The posterior extremity is 

 also armed with two spines; but these are smaller, shorter and near together. 

 The tail is short, thick and conical. 



Colour. The plates of the head are yellowish chestnut or olive-brown in their 

 centre, but have their margins so yellow as to give a strong tinge to the 

 whole; the jaws are yellowish horn-colour. The plates of the shell are light 

 brown, varying in degree, and have sometimes a tinge of olive, and are often 

 bordered with a dirty yellowish tinge; the marginals have it more distinctly, which 

 gives to the whole shell a strong shade of yellow; the young are at times coloured 

 not unlike the Green Turtle; in very old animals the whole shell becomes dusky 

 olive, as seen in the accompanying figure, and the shell is covered with various 

 parasitic animals, as serpulse, multivalve shells, &c.; the upper surface of the 

 extremities and tail is dusky along their centre, but yellow on the borders; the 

 inferior surface of the whole animal is yellow, more or less clouded. 



Dimensions. Length of head, 122 inches; breadth of head, 10 inches; length 

 of shell, 3 feet 6 inches; breadth of shell, 34 inches; length of sternum, 28 inches. 

 This is the largest specimen with a hard shell. Sometimes it reaches a much 



