REPTILES. 141 



CHRYSEMYS CINEREA (Bonnaterie). 



WESTERN PAINTED TURTLE. 

 (PI. VII.) 



Emijs picta, Sager, 1839, 301. 



CJirysentys marginata, Agassiz, 1857, 439. Smith, 1879, 7. Clark, 



1902, 193; 1905, 110. Miles, 1861, 233. Hankinsoii, 1908, 



23G-237. 

 Clirysemys cinerea, Kutliven, 1911, 115; 1911a, 271. Thompson, 



1911, 107. 



DesciHption: Carapace rigid, covered with horny plates, broad 

 and depressed, flaring considerably posteriorly, and without trace 

 of keel. Plastron broad and flat, immovably attached to the cara- 

 pace and not hinged. Head moderate in size; upper jaw with a 

 distinct notch in front, and a sharp tooth on either side of the 

 notch. 



Carapace dark olive, brown or black. The scutes narrowly mar- 

 gined with dull yellow. Marginal plates prominently marked with 

 red as follows : on the upper surface narrow cresentric bands often 

 surrounding (especially anteriorly) a wider vertical band that is 

 median in position and an extension of a similarly situated band 

 on the loAver surface. The last named band is the principal mark 

 on the lower surface and is there surrounded, on the inner end 

 and on the sides, by the black ground color. There may be other 

 light marks on the lower surface, but these are rarely prominent; 

 the most conspicuous and perhaps frequent one is a spot or short 

 band in the black areas between the central bands. (Cf. description 

 of G. helllL) Plastron yellowish with a large central parch of 

 dusky, which is, however, never as large as in C. hellii (Figs. 50- 

 51). Head black striped with ^^ellow; neck and limbs striped with 

 red. 



Hahlts and Hahltat: This is the common turtle of southern 

 Michigan. It may be seen along most of the streams or about the 

 borders of ponds and lakes. If the habitat is apj)roached cauti- 

 ously- they may be seen basking on logs, muskrat houses, etc., but 

 they are easily alarmed, and quickly scramble ofiC into the water 

 and .bury themselves in the mud and vegetation of the bottom. If 

 undisturbed they soon come to the surface again and thrust their 

 pointed black snouts out of the water. 



Hay (1892a, 572) states that the food "probably consists of in- 

 sects, tadpoles and other feeble small animals." Newman (1906, 

 144) writes that he has observed individuals "feeding on dead fish. 



