CISTUDA BLANDINGII. 41 



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

 the plate. 



The head above and at the sides is black, marked with oblong yellow spots. 

 The upper jaw is dark, with transverse waving lines of dirty yellow, and the 

 whole lower jaw yellow. The neck above is granulated and dusky; the chin 

 bright yellow; the throat yellow, but more clouded, especially towards the 

 sternum. 



The anterior extremities are yellow in front, with 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 Cistuda Blandingii, is the prairies in the state of lUinois 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 ha4 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 

 Vol. I.— 6 



