CISTUDABLANDINGII. 37 



oblong and round, sometimes arranged in concentric or radiating lines, at others 

 disposed without order. 



The sternum is dusky yellow, each plate with a large quadrangular dark spot 

 on their outer and posterior angles; these blotches involve about one-fourth of the 

 plate. 



The anterior extremities are yellow in front, Avith the margin of many of the 

 scales dusky; the posterior surface is dusky, and marked with yellow spots. The 

 posterior extremities are dusky above, and dirty yellowish-white below. The tail 

 is black above, with two obscure yellowish longitudinal lines, and dusky below. 



Dimensions. Length of shell, 8 inches; breadth of shell, 5 inches 4 lines; length 

 of sternum, 7? inches; elevation, 3 inches; length of tail, 2f inches. 



Habits. It is known to be a land animal, and found about the meadows and 

 prairies of the west. 



Geographical Distribution. The sole locality that can at this moment be 

 assigned to the Emys Blandingii, is the prairies in the state of Illinois and 

 territory of Wisconsin, where they are said to be abundant. The only specimen 

 I have seen came from Fox river, a tributary of the Illinois. 



General Remarks. This animal was first observed by Dr. William Blanding, 

 of Philadelphia, an accurate Naturalist, whose name I have given to the species. 

 For a long time I had believed there was but one species of Cistuda in the United 

 States, and am greatly pleased to find a second; the more so as it makes another 

 step in the transition of forms from land to fresh-water tortoises. The Cistuda 

 Blandingii is very fairly the representative here of the Cistuda europea of the old 

 world, and belongs to that section of the genus Cistuda that Dumeril and Bibron 

 have caUed "Hiantes," as it cannot close the shell as perfectly as the "Clausiles," 

 which section includes the Cistuda Carolina. 



