TURTLES, TERRAPINS, AND TORTOISES 17 



America, are brought to market. They do exceedingly 

 well in captivity, two " Snappers " in the collection of 

 the Zoological Society, received nearly fourteen years 

 ago, are almost as ferocious as on arrival, and will still 

 occasionally seize upon walking-sticks and such articles as 

 may be offered them for the purpose of inducing them to 

 show off their uncontrollable tempers. These specimens 

 are fed exclusively on meat. In their native land they 

 feed principally on fish and small waterfowl. 



The turtles of the family Dermatemyd^, which includes 

 three genera, Dermatemys, Staurotypus, and Claudius, all 

 represented by a single species, are restricted to Central 

 America. But for the Platysternid^, characterized by 

 a very long tail, and the Marine Turtles, the possession of 

 a series of shields on the bridge separates this family 

 from all others. 



Maw's Turtle, Dermatemys mazvi, which grows to a 

 very large size, the shell alone often exceeding two feet 

 in length, lives in the running waters of Honduras, where 

 it forms an important article of food for the colonists. 

 It feeds exclusively on vegetable matter. The plastron 

 of this turtle, unlike that of the other two genera, is large 

 and not cross-shaped. 



The Three-Keeled Turtle, Staurotypus triporcatus, is 

 characterized by three very pronounced keels on the 

 carapace. The plastron is remarkably small and cruciform, 

 as in the Snapping Turtles, which, but for the extremely 

 short tail, it resembles in general appearance, and also in 

 being of a similarly fierce disposition. 



In the family Cinosternid^, popularly known as Mud 



