﻿408 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TI'RTLES. 
  

  

  "The 
  shell 
  is 
  oblong, 
  rounded, 
  very 
  nearly 
  as 
  broad 
  before 
  as 
  behind, 
  smooth 
  and 
  ecari- 
  

   nate, 
  wath 
  an 
  entire 
  margin. 
  Of 
  the 
  vertebral 
  plates, 
  the 
  anterior 
  is 
  broad, 
  pentagonal, 
  with 
  

   two 
  of 
  its 
  articulating 
  surfaces 
  directed 
  forwards 
  and 
  outwards, 
  and 
  meeting 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  in 
  

   front; 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  are 
  very 
  regularly 
  hexagonal, 
  broadest 
  in 
  the 
  transverse 
  direction 
  

   — 
  the 
  former 
  very 
  sUghtly 
  concave 
  in 
  front, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  as 
  slightly 
  concave 
  behind 
  ; 
  the 
  

   fourth 
  is 
  regularly 
  heptagonal, 
  rather 
  concave 
  posteriorly; 
  the 
  fifth 
  is 
  octagonal, 
  smaller 
  

   above 
  and 
  larger 
  below. 
  The 
  anterior 
  lateral 
  plate 
  is 
  irregularly 
  quadrilateral, 
  larger 
  and 
  

   rounded 
  below, 
  smaller 
  and 
  straight 
  above; 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  are 
  pentagonal; 
  the 
  fourth 
  

   is 
  smaller 
  and 
  quadrilateral. 
  There 
  are 
  twenty-five 
  marginal 
  plates, 
  making 
  an 
  entire 
  cutting 
  

   border; 
  the 
  intermediate 
  or 
  nuchal 
  is 
  of 
  moderate 
  size 
  and 
  nearly 
  a 
  parallelogram, 
  being 
  only 
  

   sMghtly 
  notched 
  on 
  its 
  posterior 
  margin 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  vertebral 
  plate; 
  the 
  

   first 
  marginal 
  plate 
  is 
  regularly 
  quadi-ilateral, 
  the 
  second 
  pentagonal, 
  the 
  third 
  and 
  fom-th 
  

   quadilateral, 
  the 
  fifth 
  pentagonal, 
  the 
  sixth 
  quadrilateral, 
  the 
  seventh 
  pentagonal, 
  the 
  eighth 
  

   quadrilateral, 
  the 
  ninth 
  pentagonal, 
  the 
  tenth 
  quadrilateral, 
  the 
  eleventh 
  pentagonal, 
  and 
  the 
  

   twelfth 
  quadi-ilateral 
  ; 
  these 
  forms 
  are 
  constant. 
  All 
  these 
  plates 
  are 
  smooth 
  in 
  the 
  centre, 
  

   and 
  but 
  indistinctlv 
  marked 
  with 
  concentric 
  striae 
  near 
  their 
  borders. 
  

  

  "The 
  sternum 
  is 
  oblong, 
  full, 
  and 
  rounded 
  in 
  front, 
  deeply 
  emarginate 
  behind, 
  and 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  of 
  two 
  valves, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  posterior 
  is 
  rather 
  the 
  larger. 
  These 
  valves 
  are 
  united 
  to 
  

   each 
  other 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  sternum 
  by 
  ligamento-elastic 
  tissue, 
  so 
  that 
  both 
  sections 
  are 
  movable 
  

   on 
  the 
  same 
  axis. 
  The 
  gular 
  plates 
  are 
  very 
  regularly 
  triangular, 
  with 
  their 
  apices 
  backwards; 
  

   the 
  brachial 
  are 
  elongated, 
  quadrilateral, 
  rounded 
  and 
  broader 
  externally, 
  straight 
  and 
  nar- 
  

   rower 
  uathin. 
  The 
  thoracic 
  and 
  abdominal 
  plates 
  are 
  regularly 
  quadrilateral, 
  and 
  of 
  nearly 
  

   the 
  same 
  size. 
  The 
  femoral 
  are 
  similar 
  in 
  form 
  to 
  the 
  brachial 
  plates, 
  and 
  the 
  sub-caudal 
  

   are 
  rhomboidal. 
  All 
  these 
  plates 
  are 
  marked 
  mth 
  concentric 
  striae. 
  

  

  "The 
  anterior 
  extremities 
  are 
  strong, 
  rounded, 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  imbricated 
  scales 
  in 
  

   front, 
  and 
  with 
  smaller 
  scales 
  and 
  granulations 
  behind; 
  the 
  fingers 
  are 
  five, 
  sHghtly 
  pahnated, 
  

   and 
  furnished 
  each 
  with 
  a 
  short 
  curved 
  nail. 
  The 
  posterior 
  extremities 
  are 
  round 
  above, 
  

   flattened 
  at 
  the 
  leg 
  and 
  tarsus, 
  and 
  covered 
  in 
  front 
  and 
  behind 
  with 
  small 
  scales 
  and 
  gi-anula- 
  

   tions; 
  the 
  toes 
  are 
  five 
  in 
  number, 
  semi-palmated, 
  the 
  four 
  internal 
  are 
  furnished 
  with 
  short 
  

   curved 
  nails. 
  The 
  tail 
  is 
  long, 
  thick 
  at 
  the 
  root, 
  but 
  soon 
  becomes 
  cyUndrical 
  and 
  small." 
  

  

  Geographic 
  Distribution. 
  — 
  "Blanding's 
  Turtle 
  appears 
  to 
  attain 
  a 
  centre 
  of 
  abundance 
  in 
  

   Indiana, 
  thence 
  it 
  occurs 
  in 
  lesser 
  mmibers 
  in 
  Illinois, 
  Wisconsin, 
  Michigan, 
  Ohio 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   north 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  in 
  Canada. 
  Eastward 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  States 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  rare 
  species, 
  though 
  the 
  range 
  extends 
  into 
  the 
  Alleghanean 
  region 
  and 
  northeastward 
  

   through 
  Pennsylvania 
  and 
  New 
  York, 
  into 
  Massachusetts, 
  Rhode 
  Island 
  and 
  New 
  Hampshire. 
  

   The 
  species 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  near 
  the 
  coast 
  regions 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  Connecticut 
  or 
  New 
  Jersey" 
  

   (Ditmars, 
  1907, 
  p. 
  56). 
  

  

  