﻿BOX 
  TORTOISE. 
  411 
  

  

  Terrapene 
  Carolina 
  (Linne). 
  

  

  Box 
  Tortoise. 
  

  

  Plate 
  31. 
  

  

  rcstudo 
  Carolina 
  Linne, 
  Syst. 
  Nat., 
  ed. 
  10, 
  1758, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  198. 
  

   Tcrrnpcnr 
  Carolina 
  Bell, 
  Zool. 
  .Tourn., 
  1825, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  p. 
  .309. 
  

  

  Of 
  all 
  New 
  England 
  Chelonia, 
  the 
  Box 
  Tortoise 
  most 
  closely 
  approaches 
  the 
  Testudinidae 
  

   or 
  true 
  land 
  tortoises. 
  

  

  Size. 
  — 
  The 
  following 
  measurements 
  are 
  of 
  an 
  adult 
  male 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  Boston 
  

   Society 
  of 
  Natural 
  History: 
  length 
  of 
  carapace 
  (in 
  straight 
  line), 
  5| 
  inches; 
  length 
  following 
  

   curve 
  of 
  carapace, 
  7^; 
  width 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line, 
  4f; 
  width 
  following 
  curve 
  of 
  carapace, 
  71; 
  

   height, 
  2|; 
  sternal 
  length, 
  5|; 
  sternal 
  mdth, 
  3;; 
  length 
  of 
  anterior 
  portion 
  of 
  plastron, 
  2f; 
  

   length 
  of 
  posterior 
  portion 
  of 
  plastron, 
  SI; 
  width 
  of 
  head, 
  11; 
  length 
  of 
  tail, 
  I 
  of 
  an 
  inch. 
  

  

  Color. 
  — 
  The 
  markings 
  and 
  coloration 
  are 
  extremely 
  variable. 
  The 
  carapace 
  is 
  usually 
  

   dark 
  bro\\ai 
  or 
  black 
  with 
  numerous 
  irregular 
  yellow, 
  orange, 
  or 
  even 
  reddish 
  spots, 
  blotches, 
  

   or 
  stripes. 
  The 
  plastron 
  is 
  brown 
  or 
  black 
  with 
  yellow 
  patches 
  of 
  varying 
  sizes 
  symmetrically 
  

   placed. 
  The 
  soft 
  parts 
  also 
  vary 
  in 
  color 
  and 
  markings 
  from 
  dull 
  flesh 
  color 
  to 
  bright 
  orange 
  

   (especially 
  on 
  the 
  neck). 
  The 
  eyes 
  of 
  the 
  males 
  are 
  reddish 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  are 
  light 
  

   brown. 
  

  

  Description. 
  — 
  This 
  species 
  well 
  illustrates 
  the 
  ability 
  of 
  Natm^e 
  to 
  specialize 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  

   direction, 
  in 
  that 
  the 
  plastron 
  has 
  lost 
  its 
  bony 
  attachment 
  with 
  the 
  carapace, 
  being 
  held 
  by 
  a 
  

   ligamentous 
  hinge 
  on 
  both 
  sides, 
  and 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  movable 
  lobes 
  united 
  by 
  a 
  transverse 
  

   hinge 
  so 
  perfect 
  that 
  the 
  shell 
  can 
  be 
  completely 
  closed 
  after 
  the 
  extremities 
  have 
  been 
  with- 
  

   drawn.^ 
  In 
  the 
  male 
  the 
  plastron 
  is 
  sUghtly 
  concave, 
  in 
  the 
  female 
  it 
  is 
  flat. 
  Regarding 
  

   variations 
  in 
  the 
  Box 
  Tortoise, 
  Surface 
  says: 
  "In 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  forty-two 
  specimens, 
  seventeen 
  

   males 
  and 
  twenty-five 
  females, 
  the 
  following 
  differences 
  were 
  observed. 
  All 
  males 
  had 
  a 
  marked 
  

   concavity 
  in 
  the 
  posterior 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  plastron, 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  two 
  sexes 
  were 
  separated 
  using 
  this 
  

   character 
  as 
  a 
  basis, 
  and 
  the 
  accm'acy 
  of 
  this 
  di\dsion 
  was 
  subsequently 
  confirmed 
  by 
  dissec- 
  

   tions. 
  The 
  carapace 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  has 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  of 
  a 
  flare 
  at 
  the 
  posterior 
  corners. 
  The 
  

   nuchal 
  or 
  neck 
  notch 
  is 
  not 
  quite 
  so 
  well 
  marked 
  in 
  the 
  females. 
  The 
  plastron 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  

   is 
  verjr 
  convex. 
  The 
  relation 
  of 
  both 
  height 
  and 
  width 
  is 
  greater 
  in 
  the 
  females. 
  In 
  the 
  males 
  

   the 
  carapace 
  is 
  usually 
  somewhat 
  flattened. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  carapace 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  ap- 
  

   proaches 
  more 
  nearly 
  a 
  spherical 
  shape 
  than 
  does 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  male. 
  

  

  ' 
  In 
  Cinyxis, 
  an 
  Old 
  World 
  genus, 
  another 
  unique 
  modification 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  carapace, 
  which 
  is 
  hinged, 
  and 
  its 
  

   posterior 
  portion 
  movable. 
  

  

  