AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES. 213 
moderately distensible, and wrinkled skin on neck in large thick 
folds. Legs, feet, tail and exposed portions of limbs covered with 
thick skin. Anterior limb with 3 large transverse scales at wrist 
externally, and its posterior edge flattened into a thick tough 
membrane supported by 2 outer cartilaginous digits, which have 
no claws. Posteriorly membrane supported by 2 scales like those 
on fore arm. Inner 3 fingers with strong claws. Hind limbs 
large, soles broadly expanded with membranous margin similar 
to fore limb. Claws however much more slender and with inner- 
most largest. Only a single scale supports posterior membrane 
of hind limb. A horny scale at keel. Tail conic, robust, de- 
pressed above, laterally with fleshy keel from hind limbs con- 
tinued out near its conic short pointed tip, and short in length or 
passing but slightly beyond carapace. Color in alcohol dull 
olivaceous-umber on carapace above, marked rather sparsely with 
black-edged irregular-sized ocelli, smaller ones all external. 
Plastron pale creamy or brownish-white, bony regions more or 
less showing through as livid areas. Upper surface of head and 
limbs colored dull slaty-gray, becoming paler and livid below to 
creamy of plastron. Upper surfaces also finely speckled, reticu- 
lated or vermiculated with olivaceous-slaty or dusky, or umber. 
A dilute yellowish blotch along each side of head above and 
behind eye margined narrowly blackish. Iris dull slaty-gray. 
Length about g inches with distended snout to tip of tail. 
Coopers Creek. May, 1902. Dr. H. C. Chapman. 
The soft shelled turtle has been recorded from Paulins Kill 
at Hainesburg in Warren County, and Woodbury, by Cope in 
the American Naturalist, XXVIII, 1894, p. 889. Dr. Abbott 
tells me that 2 or 3 were found as early as the late sixties. ‘They 
were introduced when young and apparently to stock aquaria. 
It is more a feature of the inland waters of the eastern United 
States. 
Aspidonectes spimfer Abbott, Geol. N. J., 1868, p. 799.— 
Stone, Am. Nat., XL, 1906, p. 168. 
