TURTLES. 447 



found only in those rivers which empty into the Mexican Gulf. It is said to be in its 

 natural state a most voracious animal, almost constantly remaining in the water, and 

 being a most active swimmer, easily capturing fish and reptiles, the young alligators 

 contributing a large share towards its suj>port. Though the ordinary hiding-place is 

 in some hole of the bank or under some j)rojecting log, the soft-shelled turtle is known 

 to not infrequently leave the water and completely bury its body in the mud, keeping 

 up a communication with the outside world by means of its long neck and head, 

 which is ever and anon thrust out of a small breathing-hole which is left open. They 

 are also, during warm summer d.iys, seen, like other turtles, upon protruding logs or 

 rocks, basking and apparently asleep, thougli a slight disturbance in their neighborhood 

 will start them into the water. This gregarious habit lias been observed by those 

 wishing to capture the animals, and while they are unsuspicious a net or other obstacle 

 is placed in the water round the rock on which they rest, and large numbers are ca])- 

 tured as they endeavor to escape. They are of a fierce nature and bite furiouslv 

 when provoked. The flesh is said to be superior to that of the green-turtle. Though 

 ordinarily inactive on land, in the spring the female often makes her way up steep 

 banks to a suitable locality for the deposition of her eggs, which are numerous, sixty 

 or more being deposited at a time. The sliell of a large specimen of this species 

 measured eighteen inches in length. 



Amyda spinifer is of the same habitat as A. rnntica, from which animal it can be 

 at once distinguished, however, in that it lias the upper portions of the shell provided 

 with several conical prominences. It has been confounded with the Southern A.J'erox 

 by many writers, though it differs considerably from that animal, in several important 

 particulars. Allied forms are found in the western hemisphere, of which (Jhitra indica 

 is the largest living rejjresentative of the family. Specimens have been known to 

 weigh two hundred and forty pounds. It inhabits the river Ganges as well as several 

 estuaries of the Malayan peninsula, and is eagerly sought by the Chinese for food. 



Fragments of extinct members of this genus have been found in the cretaceous 

 deposits of New Jersey, and in the tertiary formations of the west; though anything 

 like complete shells are uncommon. These fragments belong to animals resembling 

 those of to-day, and prove the genus to be of great age ; a fact that could also have 

 been arrived at by an examination of the animal's structure, which is of a most embry- 

 onic type, lacking those jioints of specialization characteristic of the higher members 

 of the group. 



The Emydid^ includes all the so-called fresh-water turtles of the globe, and is 

 by far the largest family of the order ; it being represented by at least sixty species, 

 presenting a wide range of structure, habit, and size. The members are characterized 

 by having the shell more or less depressed, though it may sometimes be convex ; the toes 

 distinct and webbed, the feet forward for walking or swimming, the claws usually five in 

 front and four behind, though there may be only four toes on each appendage. The shell 

 is invariably covered with horny shields, and those overlapping the tail are not united 

 along their median edges. From only a casual examination of the variety of pomts 

 presented by this family, it is apparent that it includes animals of diverse habits ; there 

 being forms which are not only aquatic, but those which are nearly as exclusively 

 terrestrial as are some of the land-turtles. Of broad distribution throughout the tem- 

 perate and tropical regions, in North America alone are six genera. The eggs are 

 oblong, deposited in the sand, as are those of the previous family, and the young are 

 circular in outline. 



