A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF TURTLE— McCULLOCH. 127 



The sides of the carapace, or marginal shields, are reflexed, 

 and though it would seem that this is the natural condition, it is 

 not certain that it has not been caused by lateral pressure in 

 packing during transit. 



Natator tessellatus, sp. nov. 

 (Plates xxvi.-xxvii.) 



Head covered with large symmetrical shields of which the 

 greater portion of each is occupied by a moie or less rugose areola. 

 Upper jaw with a small triangular incision at the tip. A pair 

 of large prefrontal shields separated from the maxillary sheath 

 by a small scale. Frontal much smaller than the supraocular-, 

 pentagonal, its anterior edge wedged in between the prefrontals. 

 Parietal very large, connected with and surrounded by the 

 frontal, supraoculars, two pairs of temporals, and a single post- 

 parietal. Two suboculars, and one postocular, between which and 

 the soft skin of the neck are six or seven irregular shields. 

 Mandible strongly hooked. 



Carapace rounded, it being only one-ninth longer than broad; 

 unicarinate in the young, and with the sides renexed (see note 

 above.). Lateral and posterior margins serrated and formed 

 of twenty-six shields. The nuchal is divided in the median line 

 into two distinct shields. All the shields of the carapace have 

 very distinct symmetrical areola? placed rather behind the centre, 

 which are coarsely pitted: those of the vertebral shields are six 

 or seven sided, while on the costal series they are four, rive, or 

 six sided; on the marginals they are quadrangular, the postero- 

 external angle being produced as a spine. 



Plastron with a large intergular, and a series of inframarginals. 

 Each shield with a more or less central areola which is smooth 

 and not so well defined as those of the back. Two prominent 

 ridges, commencing on the gular shields, pass backwards and 

 outwards along the line of areola?, being most widely spaced and 

 strongly developed on the pectoral and abdominal shields, whence 

 they converge again and are lost on the anals. A small triangular 

 shield separates the distal ends of the. anals, but it is very soft 

 and imperfect and is possibly lost with age. ' 



The upper surface of the fore-limbs is margined anteriorly 

 with a row of squamiform shields which become larger as they 

 approach the tip. Hinder margin with six shields. The 

 remainder of the upper surface is covered with small, irregular, 

 juxtaposed scales. Lower surfaces similar, but without the scales 



