2450 



TORTOISES, TURTLES, AND PLESIOSAURS 



ing eight inches in length, and its feet largely webbed. In color, the carapace is 

 dark brown and the plastron yellowish, with brown spots in the young; the head 

 and neck being olive, with a curved white streak on each side of the throat, and a 

 broader white band, edged with black, running along the sides of head and neck. 



Nocturnal and carnivorous in their habits, the snake-necked tortoises appear to 

 agree in their general mode of life with the majority of fresh- water species. During 

 the daytime they are generally to be found lying asleep on some dry spot near the 



SNAKE-NECKED TORTOISE. 

 (One-third natural size.) 



water, with the neck bent on one side, and the head, like the limbs and tail, re- 

 tracted within the margins of the carapace. When disturbed, the head and neck 

 are, however, shot out with marvelous rapidity, reminding the observer of the sud- 

 den dart of a snake. 



In Australia and New Guinea the place of the preceding group is 

 taken by another genus of long-necked tortoises, technically known as 

 Chelodtna, the members of which may be recognized by the presence 

 ^ a normally placed nuchal shield on the carapace, coupled with the 

 circumstance that the intergular shield of the plastron, instead of be- 

 ing placed between the gulars, as in the figure on p. 2447, is situated behind the 



Australian 

 N 

 Tortoises 



