40 CISTUDA BLANDINGII. 



of moderate size and nearly a parallelogram, being only slightly notched on its 

 posterior margin to receive the point of the first vertebral plate; the first 

 marginal plate is regularly quadrilateral, the second pentagonal, the third and 

 fourth quadrilateral, the fifth pentagonal, the sixth quadrilateral, the seventh 

 pentagonal, the eighth quadrilateral, the ninth pentagonal, the tenth quadrilateral, 

 the eleventh pentagonal, and the twelfth quadrilateral: these forms are constant. 

 All these plates are smooth in the centre, and but indistinctly marked with 

 concentric striae near their borders. 



The sternum is oblong, full, and rounded in front, deeply emarginate behind, 

 and composed of two valves, of which the posterior is rather the larger. These 

 valves are united to each other and to the sternum by ligamento-elastic tissue, 

 so that both sections are movable on the same axis. The gular plates are very 

 regularly triangular, with their apices backwards; the brachial are elongated, 

 quadrilateral, rounded and broader externally, straight and narrower within. The 

 thoracic and abdominal plates are regularly quadrilateral, and of nearly the same 

 size. The femoral are similar in form to the brachial plates, and the sub-caudal 

 are rhomboidal. All these plates are marked with concentric striae. 



Tlie anterior extremities are strong, rounded, and covered with imbricated 

 scales in front, and with smaller scales and granulations behind; the fingers are 

 five, slightly palmatcd, and furnished each with a short curved nail. The 

 posterior extremities are round above, flattened at the leg and tarsus, and 

 covei'ed in front and behind with small scales and granulations; the toes are five 

 in number, semi-palmated, the four internal are furnished with short curved nails. 

 The tail is long, thick at the root, but soon becomes cylindrical and small. 



Colour. The entire ground of the shell is jet black, marked with numerous 

 yellow spots, 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 



