﻿368 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  Family 
  TESTUDINIDAE. 
  

  

  Chrysemys 
  picta 
  (Schneider). 
  

  

  Painted 
  Turtle; 
  Mud 
  Turtle; 
  Soldier 
  Turtle. 
  

  

  Plate 
  23. 
  

  

  Tcstudo 
  picta 
  Schneider, 
  Naturg. 
  Schildkr., 
  1783, 
  p. 
  348. 
  

  

  Chrysemys 
  picta 
  Gray, 
  Cat. 
  Shield 
  Kept. 
  Brit. 
  Mus., 
  Mar. 
  8, 
  1856, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  p. 
  32 
  (part). 
  

  

  The 
  Painted 
  Terrapin 
  or 
  Turtle 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  best 
  known 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  

   Chelonians. 
  

  

  Size. 
  — 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  smallest 
  of 
  the 
  genus, 
  the 
  carapace 
  not 
  usually 
  exceed- 
  

   ing 
  six 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  A 
  female 
  in 
  my 
  collection 
  measures: 
  length 
  of 
  carapace 
  in 
  straight 
  

   Une, 
  b\ 
  inches; 
  length 
  following 
  curve 
  of 
  carapace, 
  6g; 
  width 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line, 
  31; 
  width 
  

   following 
  curve 
  of 
  carapace, 
  51; 
  height 
  of 
  carapace, 
  ll; 
  sternal 
  length, 
  5|; 
  sternal 
  width, 
  3|. 
  

  

  Color. 
  — 
  The 
  carapace 
  is 
  dark 
  oUve-brown 
  or 
  sometimes 
  black, 
  the 
  neural 
  and 
  costal 
  

   shields 
  being 
  conspicuously 
  margined 
  with 
  pale 
  yellow 
  bands. 
  The 
  marginals 
  are 
  red 
  with 
  

   black 
  and 
  yellowish 
  central 
  markings. 
  The 
  plastron 
  is 
  a 
  uniform 
  yellow. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  black 
  

   and 
  has 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  large 
  yellow 
  spots 
  behind 
  the 
  eyes 
  and 
  another 
  smaller 
  pair 
  on 
  the 
  .occiput. 
  

   Underneath, 
  the 
  throat 
  and 
  neck 
  are 
  marked 
  with 
  yellow 
  stripes 
  which 
  change 
  to 
  red 
  on 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  neck, 
  limbs, 
  and 
  tail. 
  Very 
  young 
  specimens 
  have 
  a 
  bright 
  yellow 
  stripe 
  running 
  

   longitudinally 
  through 
  the 
  nuchal 
  and 
  neural 
  shields, 
  but 
  the 
  yellow 
  margins 
  are 
  not 
  present. 
  

  

  Description. 
  — 
  The 
  characteristic 
  structures 
  of 
  this 
  turtle 
  are 
  the 
  flat 
  carapace, 
  which 
  is 
  

   very 
  smooth, 
  and 
  without 
  any 
  trace 
  of 
  a 
  keel; 
  the 
  immovable 
  plastron 
  with 
  a 
  strongly 
  devel- 
  

   oped 
  bridge; 
  the 
  skull 
  with 
  a 
  broad, 
  complete 
  lateral 
  temporal 
  arch; 
  the 
  notch 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  

   horny 
  sheath 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  jaw 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  sheath 
  projects 
  somewhat 
  

   to 
  form 
  "lateral 
  teeth"; 
  the 
  broadly 
  webbed 
  feet; 
  and 
  the 
  short 
  tail. 
  The 
  nuchal 
  shield 
  is 
  

   long 
  and 
  narrow 
  with 
  its 
  anterior 
  edge 
  finely 
  serrated. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  marginal 
  plates 
  also 
  have 
  

   serrated 
  edges. 
  Males 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished 
  by 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  anus, 
  which 
  opens 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  carapace. 
  

  

  Growth. 
  — 
  Agassiz 
  (1857, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  292) 
  in 
  his 
  monumental 
  monograph 
  worked 
  chiefly 
  

   with 
  this 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  growth 
  year 
  by 
  year 
  has 
  been 
  carefully 
  detennined 
  and 
  recorded 
  

   by 
  him, 
  as 
  shown 
  on 
  p. 
  369. 
  

  

  In 
  explanation 
  of 
  this 
  table 
  he 
  says: 
  "As 
  Turtles 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  the 
  specimens 
  

   selected 
  for 
  examination 
  were 
  all 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  spring; 
  the 
  starting 
  point 
  of 
  comparison 
  is, 
  

   therefore, 
  really 
  the 
  second 
  year 
  of 
  their 
  development. 
  However, 
  as 
  the 
  eclosion 
  takes 
  place 
  

  

  