AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES. 249 
a third of head to occiput, lateral, and longer than deep. Mouth 
horizontal, inferior, edge of upper jaw shutting over lower all 
around so that mandible is inferior. Upper jaw hooked in front. 
Edges of jaws sharp and horny and when closed gape slightly 
undulated. Mouth when viewed below more of an equilateral 
triangle than upper surface of head, which is somewhat of an 
isoceles. Head and neck capable of being protracted half length 
of carapace, and skin on neck forming fold for protractile head, 
wrinkled and pustulate, or with small tubercles. Legs and feet 
covered with large, scales anteriorly on former and just behind 
palm, and on femoral and tarsal region of latter. Scales on 
calves and bases of toes above also large. Large scales on tail 
above. Limbs strong, and hind pair broadest. Claws 5 on 
each front pair of limbs, and 4 on each hind pair, strong, former 
short, and posterior larger, more curved and powerful. ‘Tail 
conic, about equal from space between tip of snout and occiput. 
*Color in life carapace jet-black, beautifully variegated and 
speckled with bright ochré-yellow blotches of various patterns, 
though some more or less radiating on large shields. These 
markings also similar on anterior marginal plates. Sutures or 
articulations of all marginal plates broadly black. Lower sur- 
face of marginal plates of plastron pale horny-brown generally 
and anterior half of this region finely streaked with dusky- 
brown. ‘These streaks on plastron itself variable, more or less 
radiated, and on 2 median pairs of plates somewhat broken into 
specks or irregular spots of small size. Specks or blotches of 
blackish rather than brown along lower surface of marginal 
plates, and these latter also with more or less ochre tints. At 
each junction of plastron laterally with bridge of carapace a dull 
orange tinge. Head beautiful bright ochre with large black 
reticulations. Jaws with black transverse streaks though not 
present below or posteriorly. Neck duller ochre, due largely 
to slightly dark lines formed in fine squamous reticulations of 
skin. Blackish vermiculating or reticulating lines of upper sur- 
face of head unite on throat posteriorly, though rather obscurely 
defined and fading out more or less posteriorly. Skin within 
cavities of shell dull chrome to brownish. Scales on limbs 
largely dull orange and claws horny-brown, becoming transparent 
