NOVA SCOTIAN ZOOLOGY-—PIERS. 471 
Nova Scotian Bell’s 
Specimen. Specimen. 
Ft. ins. | Ft, Ins. Lines. 
Mirerivori mth tetra tS Scla teat ed tesla: wae. SOE Se Sc074.0 
Pe mi NRO PANERAI de. cispo wiaietaers lure eae 4/a/as)s 0.153) 0% Ely +4 
Greatest breadth of head ).-..:.....%0.-.. Oe One O6..6 
Breadth between the orbits .............. 0 32/0 3 4&4 
Length of the fore-paddles .............. Zo Om 2 1070 
Greatest breadth of the fore-paddles ...... - -|0 9 6 
Length of the hinder-paddles ............ QO 104) 1% 2 -0 
Greatest breadth of hinder-paddles........ 0 64,0 8 8 
Miran ce Me Ga Fe aie iee oh ie wi 2ys, arate ett evel ods + Ora Oe 73.5.9 
Length of dorsal shell or carapace ........ 3) hs 6 670 
Weight. Spay Se BeNOR Seep Sich ier ore aro 250 lbs. 
We thus see that, in proportion, the Nova Scotian specimen 
is much broader between the eyes and across the head at widest 
part.* The fore-paddles are also much larger and the tail longer. 
The greatest difference, however, between our turtle and all 
figures and descriptions I have seen, lies in the shape of the 
hinder-paddles. In the specimen I have examined, each of these 
has a well-defined notch about two inches deep on the posterior 
margin. This peculiarity does not seem to have been previously 
noted. The best representation of the head is to be found in 
Professor Bell’s work.t Two diverging ridges extend backward 
from the nostrils of our specimen. The ridges on the dorsal shell 
were very distinct and slightly nodulous (more so on the anterior 
portion). The colour of the back was black, or very dark brown, 
with a slight bluish tinge appearing in some lights. The head 
was the same colour as the back, but with whitish dashes and 
spots. Lip, from just in front of nostril to jaw, white. Chin, 
white. Throat, livid pink. Fore-paddle on top, colour of back, 
margined on outside with white, and obscurely spotted with 
soiled white at the end ; beneath, black marbled and spotted with 
white and pink, the latter colour most conspicuous in the “ arm- 
pits.” Hind-flipper, colour of back, obscurely spotted with 
whitish on the inside half. 
Biack SNAKE (Bascanion constrictor). Three or four sum- 
mers ago I captured a Black Snake as it was crossing a grassy 
* My measurements were made over the head, not through, 
+ History of British Reptiles, page 18. 
