Hurter — Herpetology of Missouri. 241 



Louis, Stoddard, Pemiscot, and Pettis Counties. (Osage 

 Eiver, Agassiz). In Illinois, Monroe, St. Clair, and Madi- 

 son Counties. 



Habits. — The Troost's Turtle is common in the Missis- 

 sippi Eiver and in the adjoining lakes and sloughs left 

 by the receding water. They are mostly captured by 

 seining. With Pseudemys elegans a great many are sent 

 to the markets of eastern cities. On a visit to Baltimore 

 many years ago I found at a fish market a barrel full of 

 these two turtles, which the owner told me had come from 

 St. Louis. 



95. Pseudemys texaista Baur. Texas Turtle. 



Chrysemys texana. 



Description. — Shell very thin behind, flaring; posterior border ser- 

 rated, longitudinally plicated. Nuchal long and slender. Shell not 

 much elevated. Plastron emarginated, slightly in front, stronger be- 

 hind. Skull small. Edge of upper jaw smooth, with a slight notch 

 in front; edge of lower jaw strongly serrated with a hook at the sym- 

 physis. Upper and lower alveolar surfaces of both jaws with large, 

 tooth-like tubercles. A strong fringe is formed by the scales on the 

 outer edge of the front legs. 



Color. — Upper shell brown, with yellow concentric rings. Plastron 

 yellow or with brown markings. A yellow streak from the point of the 

 nose on the median line of the head to the occiput. A yellow streak 

 starts over the eye, widens at the side of the occiput, and continues 

 along the side of the neck. Another streak commences on the upper 

 hind corner of the eye and ends in the shape of a hook in front of the 

 tympanum. Another heavy streak starts at the middle of the lower 

 jaw and, arriving below the tympanum, sends a branch upward towards 

 the eye. Three very strong and some slender yellow stripes on the 

 lower face of the neck. 



Size. — Length of carapace 232 mm.; width of same 177 mm.; depth 

 of shell 74 mm. Length of plastron at the median line 208 mm. 



Habitat. — Northern Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and 

 western Missouri. I received my first specimen of the 

 Texas Turtle from Mr. J. H. Black, of Baxter Springs, 

 Kansas, who caught it in Newton Co., Missouri. The sec- 

 ond one came from Mr. J. C. Miles, of Carthage, Mo., 



