HALICHELYS. 451 



middle, and yellowish upon their edges. Their inferior surface is 

 mostly yellowish ; a black patch existing towards their posterior re- 

 gion, without, however, reaching the terminal edge. The nails are 

 tipped with black. The upper surface of the tail is blackish ; the 

 rest is of a dull yellow; the same hue which exists over the inguinal 

 and axillar regions, though blackish maculae may here and there be 

 observed. 



Loc. Mangsi Island, Philippine Archipelago. 



Plate XXXI, fig. 9, represents an upper view of Euchelys macropus, 

 size of life. 



Fig. 10, is an under view of the same animal; 

 Fig. 11, exhibiting its head in profile. 



REMARKS ON THE GENUS HALICHELYS OF FITZINGER. 



Wishing to place mere historical facts on record, we will first quote 

 from the authors : 



Testudo unijuibus acuminatis,palmarum plantarumque solitariis, Lixx. Amm. Acad. 

 I, 1749, 284. 



Testudo atra, Lixx. Mus. Adolph. Frider. I, 1754, 50. 



The above refer to the young of Chelonia viridis or mydas, as it is 

 oftentimes called, and which, according to Linnaeus's own statement, 

 came from the Island of Ascension. 



Thalaisochelyt atra, FITZ. in Zool. Ann. Wien Mus. I, 1811, 128. 



What has guided Fitzinger in referring Testudo atra, of Linnaeus, 

 to the genus Thalassochelys, we are at a loss to determine; a promi- 

 nent trait of the latter genus consisting in the presence of two nails to 

 either flipper. 



Salichelys atra, FITZ. Syst. Kept, i, 1843, 30. 



Again, when the same author established his genus HaUchelys, he 

 evidently entertained the idea that its natural affinities were with 

 Thahis&ochelys, since these genera follow one another in his System. 



