171 



Color of the shell above, dark green to black, each scute with several 

 round, triangular or oblong spots of yellow or orange, those of the mar- 

 ginals largest ; all, however, sometimes wanting. Plastron yellow, with 

 the outer posterior portion occupied by a blotch of brown. This blotch 

 may expand so as to take in almost the whole scute. Head and neck 

 above and aloug the sides dusky, with numerous yellow dots ; chin, throat 

 and under side of the neck yellow. Legs yellow, with mottlings of 

 brown. Tail striped longitudinally with yellow and brown. 



The carapace may attain a length of nine inches, but this is uncommon. 



This species is wholly Northern in its distribution, being found from 

 Massachusetts and Canada to Northern Illinois. In Indiana it occurs 

 only in the region of lakes in the northern portion. Dr. Levette (93, 

 1875, 499) reports it as occurring "sparingly in the northern parts of 

 Lagrange and Steuben counties." A live one was seen at Lake Maxin- 

 kuckee in May, and I have a shell of one that was taken at Rochester, 

 Fulton county, by Dr. Vernon Gould, of that place. It does not appear 

 to be rare in that region. It is also common at English Lake, in Starke 

 county. 



Habits. — Not much accurate information has been gathered concerning 

 the habits of this tortoise. It is probably somewhat less aquatic than the 

 speckled tortoise, Clemmys guttata, yet it undoubtedly prefers the neigh- 

 borhood of streams and ponds. I find no account of its food, but this is 

 probably of an animal nature. Its eggs, as figured by Agassiz, are large 

 and oval, measuring an inch and three-eighths by almost an inch. There 

 are from seven to nine of them laid together once a year. The shell is 

 thick, smooth and hard. According to Agassiz's figures there are no. 

 yellow or orange dots on the shell of the very young. In this respect they 

 are in contrast with the young of Clemmys guttata, which are said to have 

 the spots developed long before leaving the egg, even before the lungs are 

 developed. 



This species is to be distinguished from the box-tortoise by the more 

 elongated, less elevated and less convex shell, the posteriorly notched 

 plastron, and absence of anything like a hook to the upper beak. 



Genus CISTUDA, Fleming. 



Cistuda, Fleming, 1822, 115, ii, 270; Oistudo, Bonaparte, 1830, 116, 

 162; Agassiz, 1857, 4, i, 444; Boulenger, 1889, 84, 115. 



Shell high and very convex. Plastron united to the carapace by 

 ligament and movable on it; the axillary and inguinal processes rudi- 

 mentary. Plastron divided by a transverse hinge into two movable lobes, 

 the hinge covered by the suture between the pectoral and abdominal 

 scutes. Entoplastron cut by suture between the humerals and the 

 pectorals. Alveolar surface of jaws narrow, without median ridge. 



