llEUrETOLOGY. 341 



(p. 790 I.e.), clpsrribcs mc as rcoopiiziiij; flio corrospondcnpc of its skull ■with that of 

 2'. Peijuemis, Gray, but reniarkiti;? " tliat the plastral chai-acU'i's indicated a totally 

 dilfori-nt animal," and quoting in support Proc. A. S. E. 1875, j). 17t). It will 

 however be seen by turning to this reference, that I allude to T. Pcgueniis, Gray, 

 only to remark that it is a species hitherto only known to us by its head, whiidi is 

 '■■ pale olive green minutely and closely puuctulated with black." 



As I had never seen any sternum of T. Peyuensis (which was founded on a head 

 in spirit pi'ocured by me in the Tsittoung, but the body of which was not preserved), 

 1 never made any such comparison, and as a matter of fact my words quoted bj- 

 Dr. Anderson refer not to the sternum of T. Peguensis, but of T. Phai/rci. My 

 words were, "The head (?'. Oraijii) was dried, but on moistening it the colouration 

 of the skin was seen closely to resismble that of T. Phai/rei, which I at first concluded 

 it to be. The denial characters however indicated a totaUij different animal." Neither 

 has Dr. Anderson any warrant for saying that I recognized any correspondence 

 between the skulls of" T. Grayii and T. Pequensis, their colouration being wholly 

 different ; what I did say was that the skulls of 'I\ Grayii and 2\ Phayrei exactly 

 corresponded in colouration, though their sternal characters did not. The head 

 whereon T. Peyuensis was based was fully adult, " minutely and cloxely jjimclulated with 

 black." The head of T. Phayrei, of the same size, is very peculiarly and differently 

 marlicd, being marbled with handsome subreniform spots or marks, and not 

 punctulated. The skulls may correspond, as Dr. Anderson asserts, but the markiugs 

 are wholly unlike ; and unless Dr. Anderson can show this to be a sexual character, 

 ■we must "hold with Dr. Gray that T. Peyaensis "is very different from any species 

 that has before come under my notice " (Sup. Cat. I. K., p. 09). 



Xot content with endeavouring to refer the well-known and abundantly 

 represented T. Phayrei, Th., to T. Peynensis, Gray, based on an isolated head, ])r. 

 Anderson then endeavours to sink T. ocellatits and 2'. Grayii, Th., to a synonym of the 

 same species. His words are, "The head however of the latter {2'. Phayrei) cor- 

 responds to the heads of eight turtles from the Irrawaddy, in the Indian Museum, 

 Calcutta, which have their plastra covered with coarse granulations, and which in 

 the form of their entoplastron piece exactly eorrespoiul to the plastron referred to 

 T. stellatus, and to the plastron of T. Grayii" (Zool. Yunnan, p. 791). From this 

 and contextual passages, Dr. Anderson seems to regard T. Phayrei, Th., 2\ Grayii, 

 Th., T. ephippium, Th., T. formonus. Gray, T. stellatus (Theobald's figure), with 

 more or less doubt in each ease, to 2'. I^eyuensis, Gray, and the Irrawaddy species 

 described by me as T. Phayrei to it uiihesilatinyly, despite its totally different 

 colouration, and the fact that T. I'eyiteiisis, Gray, is based on a solitary head ! 



Emvda, Peters. 



Margins of the shell strengthened with numerous small bony plates. 



E. viTTAT.t, Peters. 



Colour brown above, white below. Grows to 8 inches, and has the odd plate on 

 the sternum large. Emyda is more cartilaginous than Trionyx, and consequently 

 can more completely retract its head and limbs within its shell. 



The flesh of the soft turtles is generally eaten by the Burmese, and may be good, 

 but as they are carnivorous animals, I never liked trying it myself. In the great 

 rivers in India, where these turtles so largely feed on human bodies, the idea of 

 using their flesh for food is repulsive ; but in Burma this is not the case, and less 

 olij(>ction exists to its use. So my advice is, for each one to try and judge for himself. 

 Alter the revelations we have had of the horrors of cows fed on the warm slush and 

 refuse of whisky stills, I would sooner eat a snapping turtle, than preserved American 

 beef, possessing such a history and such antecedents. To help to discern this wicked 

 trash, it may be menlioued that the beef of the wretched animals so fed is totally 

 destitute of fat. Vcrhum sat sapienti. 



A writer, in the Field gives the following amusing account of the trouble some 

 cat-fish('s and these soft turth'S sometimes give the fisherman whose hook they have 

 taken : — 



"Before I close this letter I must warn you against a couple of (Ish with which 



