432 



AMERICAN TESTUDINATA. 



Part II. 



more elongated form of the adult, the greater plaimiess of the color of the back, 

 the strong, coarse serratures of the upper and lower jaw, and the prominent hooks 

 on both sides of the median notch of the upper jaw. The geographical range of 

 this species is very limited ; it extends only from New Jersey to Virginia. I have 

 received a large number of specimens of all ages from Washington, through the 

 kindness of Professor Baird. A series of them are represented on PI. 26 and 

 27, with the view of showing what is the range of variations in some sj^ecies 

 of this family. These plates tell their own story. The yellow, hieroglyphic 

 ocelli and curved lines extending upon a gray ground over the whole surface 

 of the shield (PI. 26, fig. 1-4) gradually pass (fig. 5) into a system of more 

 parallel lines, (fig. 6, 9, 10, and 11,) transverse ujjon the costal scales, (fig. 6 

 and 10,) more longitudinal upon the median scales, (fig. 9 and 11,) and ocellated 

 upon the marginal scales, and the yellow bands deepen gradually to orange, (fig. 

 9 and 10,) the ground being more greenish (fig. 6) or deeper brown (fig. 5) ; 

 or the lineated appearance vanishes entirely, and the surface becomes mottled 

 (fig. 7). The sternum is at first yellow, with black blotches (fig. 4) ; but grad- 

 ually becomes reddish, (fig. 8,) and even deep red, without a spot. In the adult, 

 the mottled appearance of the shield prevails, and only faint traces of the trans- 

 verse bands remain, (PI. 27, fig. 1,) the genei'al color being either gi'ay mottled 

 with red, or deep red mottled with black. Occasionally the whole surface is dark, 

 and only slightly mottled or faintly banded with brownish red. It would have 

 taken two or three more plates to represent all the variations of color I have 

 observed.' I have only seen immature eggs of this species. 



Ptychemys coNcraNA, Ag? This species occurs from the southern parts of North 

 Carolina, through all the southern States as far as western Louisiana, and up the 

 Mississippi valley as far as Arkansas. I have received a large number of speci- 

 mens, through the kindness of Dr. W. B. Daniell, from Savannah ; of N. A. Pratt, Jr., 

 from Roswell, Georgia ; of Dr. R. W. Jeffries, from Pensacola, Florida ; of Dr. Hol- 

 brook, and Dr. Nott, from Mobile ; of Professor Chilton, from New Orleans ; of Mr. 

 W. Sargent, from Natchez; of Professor Wailes, and Dr. L. Harper, from other 



different names, as Emys rugosa, Emys irrigata, and 

 Emys rubi'iventris (Erp. geuer., vol. 2, ji. 284, 276, 

 and 281). 



^ This shows plainly that there are genera among 

 our Emydoids in whieh neither the tint nor the pat- 

 tern of coloration affords any specific characters. 



^ Few species of American Eniyds have been 

 more extensively mistaken than this. It was first 

 described, in 1820, by Major LeConte, as Testudo 



coneinna (Emys concinna, Dum. and Blhr. ; Holbr. 

 N. Am. Herp., vol. i., p. 119, })1. 19) ; but at the same 

 time he gave another name, Testudo floridana, (Emys 

 floridana, Harl. ; Holbr. N. Am. Herp., vol. i., p. 65, 

 pi. 8,) to large specimens observed by him in Florida. 

 Besides adojiting these two species, Gray described it 

 also under the name of Emys ornata, and the young 

 under that of Emys annulifera. Cat. Brit. Mus., p. 

 22 and 27. 



