6 BULLETIN OP THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



1802. Latreille, P. A. — Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles, Vol. I, p. 14"), pi. vi, fig. 2. 



A description of Testudo centrata, "la tortue a lignes concentriques." This description was com- 

 municated to Latreille in manuscript by Bosc, who hail had an opportunity to study the diamond- 

 back terrapin in the neighborhood of Charleston, s. ('. It will be noticed that the specific name 

 inilrata is the earliest acceptable one, and the type locality may lie fixed with almost perfect certainty 

 as Charleston, S. C. 



1802. Shaw, Geobge. — General Zoology, vol. 3, pp. 4:; and 44. 



The author describes under the name Testudo concentrica a species which lie says is sold in the 

 markets of Philadelphia and elsewhere under the name of terrapin. It is a native of North America 

 and was " apparently tirst described by Doctor Browne in his Natural History of Jamaica." Character- 

 ized as "tortoise with sul 'depressed, sulicarinated, oval, yellow shell, with the scutella marked by 

 concentric brown zones." 



A varietal form of the species is figured on Plate IX, the carapace being shown in dorsal view, 

 from "a fine specimen in the Leverian Museum, which is remarkable for having the dark zones on 

 the several pieces of the shell double; being slightly separated by an intermediate line of pale or 

 yellowish ground color." The figure shows the shell of the northern form of K. centrata. with the 

 not uncommon character mentioned. 



1803. Daudin, F. M. — Histoire Naturelle Generale et Particuliere des Reptiles, Vol. II, pp. 153-158. 



Under the name la tortue a lignes concentriques, this author describes a terrapin concerning which 

 in a footnote on p. 153 he quotes as follows: " Testudo centrata, lineis duabus aui quatuor atris, circulari- 

 trr fiittratis, in scitlfllix luriar sn/Mi-inris .1 inarijiuis; stenio Jtara inuiiariilulo. /Huttifrijm' marijiiitilo." Bosc. 

 description manuscrite communiquee. — Latreille, Hist. Nat. des Kept., I, p. 145, pi. vi, fig. 2. 



Daudin doubts the validity of the new species, observing that it differs from Schoepff's only in 

 having the plastron entirely yellow. His specimens came fromBo.sc, who reported them as coming 

 from the sounds of Carolina. He describes three varieties, two based on color differences and one on 

 the divided nuchal plate, but does not name them or assign localities. 



1814. Schweigger, A. T. — Prodromi Iconographise Cheloniorum, p. 32. 



In this pamphlet occurs the name Emys centrata, with references to Bosc, Nouvelle Dictionnaire 

 d' Histoire Naturelle, vol. 22, p. 264, and to Shaw's General Zoology. In the description which 

 follows there is nothing to indicate which form of the terrapin the author was describing except that 

 it was based on six specimens in the Paris Museum and on those of Bosc, which, as before stated, 

 probably came from the neighborhood of Charleston, S. ( '. 



1825. Say, Thos. — Journal Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Ser. 1, Vol. IV, p. 205. 



In this paper the diamond-back terrapin is described as follows: E(mi/s) cent rata. Shell somew hat 

 ovate, cariuate excepting on the last plate; plates with concentric circles, either simply colored or deeply 

 impressed; posterior marginal scuta crenate; anterior one quadrate; skin whitish, with very numerous 

 blackish spots; jaws simple. 



1830. I.e Conte, J. — Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York, III, p. 113. 



Under the name Testudo palustris, this paper includes a description of M. centrata. The form is 

 not identifiable. Three varieties are mentioned: 



a. Smooth, with very few concentric strise. Shell above gray, with concentric marks of 



black on each plate. Sternum yellow, spots on the skin larger. 



b. Dark brown, somewhat varied with black; lateral and marginal plates more or less 



marked with concentric strife; vertebral plates smooth. 



c. With concentric strife on all the plates and black concentric marks on some of them. 

 The distribution is stated to extend from New York to Florida and even to tin- West Indies, in 



salt water and always in the neighborhood of marshes. 



1830. Bonaparte, Caelo Luciano. — Testudinum Genera. Sulla Segonda Edizione del Regno Animale 

 del Barone Cuvier Osservazioni di C.-L. -Bonaparte. 1830. Page 157, species 8. 

 Terrapene palustris. The description is in Latin and Italian and refers to if. centrata of all forms. 

 The range is stated to extend from New York to Florida. 



