164 



States of the Mississippi Valley from Ohio to Kansas, and north to Lake 

 Superior. In Indiana it is to be found everywhere. I have proofs of its 

 occurrence at so many points that it seems unnecessary to state them. 



Habits. — This is at once our most beautiful and most common species 

 of tortoise. It is, however, probably less well known than the Snapping- 

 turtle, because of its strictly aquatic mode of life and its excessive tim- 

 idity. It appears to prefer to abide in ponds, pools, and the sluggish parts 

 of our streams. In such places it may be often seen lying with its fellows 

 on sortae fallen tree-trunk or on some projecting stone, basking in the sun- 

 shine. The senses of sight and hearing appear to be acute, for it easily 

 takes alarm and tumbles into the water and disappears. It is then often 

 to be found buried in the mud close to where it entered the water. It is 

 an entirely harmless turtle, and can hardly be provoked to bite, and its 

 effort is then a feeble one. The food of the Western Painted Turtle 

 probably consists of insects, tadpoles and other feeble and small animals. 



Smith {18, 665) states that in Michigan this turtle has been found out 

 of its winter quarters as late as October 22, and in the spring on March 

 31. From tortoises that have been marked, it appears that all these ani- 

 mals wander but short distances from where they have been hatched. 

 According to Agassiz' figures, the eggs of this tortoise are about an inch 

 and a quarter long and nearly seven-eighths in the shorter diameter. 

 Many interesting things are to be found concerning the closely related 

 G. picta in Agassiz' work on the Testudinata of North America (^). 



Genus MALACLEMYS, Gray. 



Malaclemys, Gray, 1844, 91, 28; 1855, 25, 37; Graptemys and 3fala- 

 coclemmys, Agassiz, 1857, 4, i, 436, 437 ; Boulenger, 1889, 84, 88. 



Shell depressed, Avith a distinct keel. Bridge wide, with the axillary 

 and inguinal processes well developed, the latter united to the 5th costal 

 plate. Entoplastron lying wholly in front of the suture between the 

 humerals and pectorals. Jaws with the alveolar surface broad to very 

 broad and entirely without a median ridge. Choanse behind the level of 

 the eyes. Skull without a bony temporal arch. Digits extensively 

 webbed. 



Keel strongly tuberculated ; an elongated, transverse, yellow streak 

 behind each eye. Carapace strongly serrated behind. 



pseudo-geographica, p. 165. 



Keel not tuberculated; a triangular yellow spot behind each eye. 

 Carapace feebly serrated behind. geographica, p. 166^ 



