Dr. J. E. Gray on the Genus Dermatemys. 391 



part of the teeth) in the Museum resembles the skull of the preceiling 

 in most particulars, but is rather larger in size, and the perforation 

 in the side of the nose, at the front edge of the orbit, is smaller and 

 not so oblong, being only a httle higher than wide. 



Additional Observations on Dermatemys, a Genus of 

 EMYOiDifi from Central America. By Dr. J. E. Gray, 



F.R.S., ETC. 



In the • Proceedings of the Zoological Society' for 1847, p. 53, I 

 described a new genus of Emydidce, under the name of Bermatemys 

 Mawii ; and in the ' Catalogue of Shield Reptiles iu the British 

 Museum ' I figured the shell of the animal in detail. 



This genus was only established on a single shell, without any 

 part of the animal attached to it, which was then in the Museum of 

 this Society, having been presented by Lieut. Mawe, R.N. This 

 specimen has since been transferred to the collection of the British 

 Museum. 



Some doubts have been expressed as to the position of the genus 

 in the family Emydidte ; and one naturalist has even gone so far as 

 to doubt the propriety of establishing a genus from the examination 

 of the single specimen, which he was inclined to believe was only an 

 abnormal form of a typical Emyt. This I could not admit; for, 

 even if it were an accidental monstrosity, we did not know an Emyt 

 to which it could be referred. 



M. Bibron, when in England, named the specimen, in the MS. 

 Catalogue of the Zoological Society, Emya Mawii, a name which I 

 adopted when I originally described it. 



More lately the Museum at Paris appears to have received a spe- 

 cimen with the animal, for I find it shortly noticed in M. A. Du- 

 m^ril's ' Catalogue of the Paris Museum' under the name of Emya 

 Berrardi, with the following account of the animal : — " Ilead uni- 

 form brown, flat, broad, rather large ; jaws toothed ; toes broadly 

 webbed ; tail strong, rather long." It was sent from M. Berrard 

 from \'era Crux. Emya Berrardi is also described and figured by 

 A. Dumcril in the sixth volume of the ' Archives du Museum,* 

 p. 231, t. 15. 



It is to be observed that in the short notice of the species in the 

 ' Catalogue of the Paris Museum ' the series of large shields on the 

 external symphysis, which is a peculiarity of Dermatemya Mavoii, is 

 not mentioned ;' and they are to be looked for iu vain in the longer 

 description in the ' Archives du Muse'um,' or in the plate which ac- 

 companies that paper. Yet there can be no doubt that both the 

 descriptions and figure are intended for the animal under discussion, 

 as M. Duraeril admits that they received one specimen from Lieut. 

 Mawe (or " Maw," as it is printed), which no doubt they obtained 

 from the Zoological Society when M. Bibron was in London. How- 

 ever, the figure is more beautiful as a work of art tlian accurate as 

 a natural-history drawing ; but then herpetologists must by this time 



