22 REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 



branch of which extends to the eye. These terrapins, 

 especially the young, make most attractive pets, becoming 

 very tame ; care, how^ever, has to be taken in the handling 

 of freshly captured specimens, for they are occasionally 

 disposed to bite. Their food is said to consist chiefly 

 of small fish and tadpoles ; in captivity, however, they 

 may be fed exclusively on insects and meat ; some 

 individuals are herbivorous as well. 



In Emys the plastron, which is large and united to the 

 carapace by ligament, is divided in the adult into two 

 lobes, more or less movable upon a middle transverse 

 hinge. The head is covered with smooth, undivided skin. 

 The limbs, which are extensively webbed, are provided with 

 long claws. 



The genus is represented by two species only, the range 

 being restricted to the temperate parts of the northern 

 hemisphere. In prehistoric days its distribution was 

 more extensive, Emys orbicularis being found in England 

 and other parts of Northern Europe, from which it is now 

 absent. 



Its members are more or less aquatic, passing most of 

 their existence in the water, occasionally taking to land to 

 bask in the sun. 



The European Pond Tortoise, Emys orbicularis, is 

 distributed throughout the greater part of Southern 

 Europe, Algeria, Tunisia, and South-West Asia. In Central 

 Europe it extends locally as far north as Central France, 

 Holland, Prussia, and Poland. The coloration of the 

 shell is subject to much variation ; it is usually dark brown 

 or black with numerous yellow radiating lines, or spots ; 

 the plastron is yellow and brown, occasionally entirely 



