76 



CATALOGUE OF SHIELD REPTILES. 



dry fulvous, with brown spots ; back rounded ; vertebral 

 shields hexagonal, nearly as long as broad. 



Chelonia viridis, Temm. Fawn. Japan. 18. t. 4. f. 4-6 ; t. 6. 



f. 1, 2. 

 Testudo viridis, Schneid. Schildk. 309. t. 2. 

 Testudo Mydas, Lati: Kept. i. 22. t. 1. f. 1. 



Baud. Bept. ii. 10. t. 16. 



Schoepf. Test. t. 17. f. 2. 

 Chelonia Midas, Schweig. Prod. 291. 



Gray, Syn. 52. 



Bum. Sf Bib. Erp. Gen. ii. .538. 



Holbronk, N. Amer. Herpet. ii. 25. t. 3. 

 Caretta esculenta, Merrem, Tent. 18. 

 Testudo Japonica, Thunb. 

 Testudo Thunbergii, Merrem, Tent. 19. 

 T. Cepedienne, Baud. Bept. ii. 50. t. 17. f. 1. 

 Chelonia Mydas, Gray, Ann. Phil. x. 212. 

 Chelonia esculenta, Wiegm. ^- Buthe, Handb. Zoo!. 164. 



Hab. Atlantic Ocean ; North America ; Rio Janeiro ; 

 Ascension ; Guiana ; India ; Bourbon ; New Holland. 



a, b. Half-grown (stuffed). Brazils. 



Osteology : — 



Chelonia ?, Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 13. f. 2, 3, back ; v. 



206. t. 13. f. 6, sternum ; t. 12. f. 15 & 39, hand and 



foot. 

 Testudo mydas, Spix, Cephal. t. 1. f. 5 ; t. 2. f. 5, skull. 

 Caouane, Bojanus, Parergon. f. 192-195. 



c. Skull of young; weighed 66 lbs. From Dr. Mautell's 



Collection. 



d. Head, with the shields. 



(?,/. Skulls of adult; weighed 375 lbs. Ascension. Pre- 

 sented by — Wauds, Esq. 



g. Skull of adult. Imperfect: discoloured. 



Tomig 1 Blackish-brown, keeled ; chin, under surface and 



narrow edge of shell and fins brownish-white. 



a, b, c, d. Very young (in spirits). Ascension. Presented 

 by Capt. Sir Edward Belcher. 



e. Very young (in spirits). Sternal plates 6. Ascension. 



Presented by Capt. Sir Edward Belcher. 

 /. Very young (in spirits). First vertebral plate irregular. 



Ascension. Presented by Capt. Sir Edward Belcher. 



g, h. Very young (in spirits) . Vertebral plates irregular, 

 6 or 7. Ascension. Presented by Capt. Sir Edward 

 Belcher. 



i. Very young (in spirits). Costal plates 5 • 5 ; last ver- 

 tebral narrow. Ascension. Presented by Capt. Sir 

 Edward Belcher. 



j, k. Very young (in spirits). Plates normal. Ascension 

 Island. From H.M.S. Chanticleer. 



/. Very young (dry). 



The skulls differ considerably in the convexity of the 

 forehead, and they offer two distinct peculiarities, which 

 may indicate two species or the two sexes. 



In one form, of which I have examined four skulls of 

 different ages, the width at the condyles of the upper jaw 

 is the same as the distance from the edge of the vertebral 

 condyle to the front edge of the palatine opening. 



In the other variety, of which I have examined five, all 

 adult, skulls, the width of the condyles of the jaw is 

 considerably more (half an inch) than the above-named 

 distance. In the Chelonia Caretta the width of this part 

 is very much greater than the space above named. 



I may observe that in the youngest skulls of the first 

 variety the condyles are narrowest, so that part of this dif- 

 ference may depend on the age of the skulls, which appear 

 to become broader and shorter as they become older. 



