254 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



and the claws are sharp. The carapace and plastron are solidly joined, and the first has twelve shell- 

 plates. There are two scales in the arm-pits and two in the region of the groin. These little Emydes 

 are killers and eaters of small fish, beetles, and other insects and worms, but they will occasionally 

 eat bread and vegetables : and to their cost, for when thus nourished they are occasionally made 

 articles of food for man. They like stagnant water, and do not go far from the banks ; they hibernate 

 in the winter, and dig down and bury themselves in the mud at that season. It is said that their 

 eggs require a whole year to incubate and hatch. The buckler gets more oval with age, and may reach 

 eight inches in length and five in width. 



The Painted Emys (Emys picla) is a well-known kind in the Eastern and Middle but not in the 

 Southern United States. It has a broad yellow band, limited by a black line, extending along the 

 front of the scales, and the margin of the carapace has blood-red blotches on it. It has a large web tc 

 the feet, and is very aquatic, dying if kept many days out of its favourite element. 



Another and allied genus is Clemmys, of which Clemmys insculpta is found from Maine to 

 Pennsylvania, It is not always found in and near water, for it is a great wanderer, and makes its 

 way to the forest. 



CLEMMYS IXSCULPTA. 



Another of this widely-spread genus, which is often made to replace that of Emys, is found 

 in Europe and Western Asia. It is the Caspian Terrapin,* with a pale olive back and indistinct 

 paler, yellowish, reticulated lines, edged with black. The plastron and under-side of the margin are 

 black, with irregular-sized yellow spots on the outer side of each sternal shield ; the head and neck 

 are olive, and the thi-oat and sides of the neck have black-edged pale streaks. The upper beak -like 

 jaw has a slight acute central notch and a tooth-shaped process on each side. 



Another important germs of this group is Kinosternon, in which the fore and aft part of the 

 plastron are movable, after the fashion of Water Box Tortoises. They are popularly called Double- 

 flapped Box Toi'toises. The Pennsylvania!! Mud Terrapin is the example, f 



The well-known Alligator Terrapin, % or Snapping Turtle, belongs to the genus Chelydra of 

 this family. It has a comparatively small buckler, but it is provided with a plated head, armed 

 with a hooked beak. The claws are, moreover, strong, and the tail has a crest on it. There are 

 two growths or barbules under the chin. This is an active swimmer, and is very destructive of fish 

 and even young birds. They grow to a considerable size, for some measure twenty -four inches, and the 

 longest attain four feet in length. The weight of 201bs. is not uncommon. They are found in stagnant 

 waters or shallow pools, but generally prefer deep water, and live at the bottom of rivers ; and when 

 they come to the surface, they elevate the tip of the pointed snout and float along with the current, 

 going to the bottom at once, if disturbed. They are very voracious, feeding on fish, reptiles, or any 

 animal substance that falls in their way. They take the hook when fished for, and require much 

 * Clemmys caspica. f Kinosternon pcnnsylvanicum. J Chelydra serpentines 



