﻿WOOD 
  TORTOISE. 
  403 
  

  

  Clemmys 
  insculpta 
  (LeConte). 
  

  

  Wood 
  Tortoise; 
  Sculptured 
  Tortoise. 
  

  

  Plate 
  29. 
  

  

  Tcstiido 
  iu.sciilpia 
  LeConte, 
  Ann. 
  Lye. 
  Nat. 
  Hist. 
  New 
  York, 
  1830, 
  vol. 
  3, 
  p. 
  112. 
  

  

  CJcmmys 
  insculpta 
  Straueh, 
  Mem. 
  Acjid. 
  Sci. 
  St. 
  Petersboiirg, 
  1862, 
  ser. 
  7, 
  vol. 
  5, 
  no. 
  7, 
  p. 
  104. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  considered 
  by 
  Storer 
  to 
  be 
  "our 
  most 
  beautiful 
  tortoise." 
  

  

  Size. 
  — 
  Large 
  specimens 
  reach 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  carapace 
  of 
  sUghtly 
  over 
  eight 
  inches, 
  one 
  in 
  

   the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  Boston 
  Society 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  having 
  a 
  curved 
  length 
  of 
  8f 
  inches. 
  

   The 
  shell 
  of 
  an 
  adult 
  specimen 
  in 
  my 
  collection 
  measures: 
  length, 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  Une, 
  6j 
  inches; 
  

   length 
  along 
  curve 
  of 
  carapace, 
  7\; 
  width 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  Une, 
  4i; 
  width 
  along 
  curve 
  of 
  carapace, 
  

   6j; 
  height, 
  2^; 
  sternal 
  length, 
  6f; 
  sternal 
  width, 
  4f. 
  

  

  Color. 
  — 
  The 
  carapace 
  is 
  dull 
  brown, 
  with 
  irregular 
  faint 
  yellow 
  markings. 
  Young 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  sometimes 
  show 
  radiating 
  narrow 
  yellow 
  Unes 
  on 
  each 
  shield. 
  The 
  plastron 
  is 
  yellow, 
  

   and 
  each 
  shield 
  contains 
  a 
  large 
  black 
  spot 
  on 
  its 
  outer 
  margin, 
  as 
  do 
  also 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  inferior 
  

   marginals 
  of 
  the 
  carapace. 
  The 
  head 
  and 
  feet 
  are 
  blackish, 
  the 
  remaining 
  soft 
  parts, 
  especially 
  

   the 
  neck, 
  a 
  vivid 
  brick 
  red. 
  

  

  Description. 
  — 
  The 
  carapace 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  a 
  rough 
  " 
  sculp 
  tm'ed" 
  appearance, 
  each 
  

   shield 
  containing 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  concentric 
  ridges 
  or 
  grooves, 
  rising 
  one 
  above 
  the 
  other 
  in 
  a 
  pyramid- 
  

   like 
  manner, 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  each 
  series 
  being 
  in 
  the 
  posterior 
  portion. 
  It 
  is 
  strongly 
  keeled 
  and 
  

   serrated 
  at 
  the 
  rear 
  margin 
  where 
  it 
  flares 
  shghtly 
  upward. 
  The 
  plastron 
  is 
  heavy 
  and 
  deeply 
  

   notched 
  posteriorly. 
  The 
  feet 
  are 
  partially 
  webbed, 
  the 
  hind 
  toes 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  fore. 
  

  

  "The 
  upper 
  jaw 
  projects 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  bill, 
  arched 
  downward, 
  notched 
  at 
  the 
  tip, 
  and 
  

   so 
  compressed 
  sidewise 
  that 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  is 
  narrower 
  than 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  forehead 
  

   over 
  the 
  nose. 
  The 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  jaw 
  is 
  straight, 
  except 
  the 
  tip, 
  which 
  is 
  greatly 
  arched 
  

   upward. 
  The 
  horny 
  sheath 
  of 
  the 
  horizontal 
  alveolar 
  surface 
  is 
  narrow 
  in 
  both 
  jaws. 
  The 
  

   margin 
  of 
  the 
  sheath 
  is 
  very 
  thin 
  and 
  spreading 
  in 
  the 
  young, 
  and 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  scales 
  is 
  

   coarsely 
  granular. 
  In 
  the 
  adult 
  they 
  have 
  radiating 
  ridges, 
  which 
  in 
  very 
  old 
  age 
  are 
  some- 
  

   times 
  entirely 
  smoothed 
  down" 
  (Agassiz). 
  

  

  Parker 
  (1901) 
  in 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  correlated 
  abnormalities 
  in 
  the 
  scutes 
  and 
  bony 
  plates 
  of 
  the 
  

   carapace 
  of 
  the 
  Sculptured 
  Tortoise 
  arrives 
  at 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  a 
  close 
  relation 
  exists 
  between 
  

   the 
  bony 
  plates 
  and 
  scutes 
  and 
  that 
  "in 
  primitive 
  turtles 
  each 
  bony 
  plate 
  was 
  associated 
  with 
  

   a 
  single 
  scute." 
  In 
  the 
  carapace 
  of 
  Clemmys 
  insculpta 
  there 
  are 
  fifty 
  bony 
  plates 
  and 
  thirty- 
  

   eight 
  scutes 
  or 
  shields. 
  Young 
  specimens 
  appear 
  especially 
  rough. 
  In 
  the 
  males 
  the 
  tail 
  

   is 
  longer, 
  the 
  scales 
  on 
  the 
  front 
  legs 
  coarser, 
  and 
  the 
  claws 
  heavier 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  females. 
  

  

  