Dr. Anderson on Trionyx gangeticus, Ouvier. 219 



Unfortunately I do not know of any specimens of Testudo 

 Phayrei (the type of Scajjia) being in Europe, and I have 

 never had the opportunity of examining any ; but as it ajopears 

 that all the specimens that have been examined have a flat ster- 

 num, probably this species has the sternum flat in both sexes, 

 as is the case in many land-tortoises, and the concavity of the 

 sternum in males of Manouria would be a peculiarity of that 

 genus. 



Until the skull on which Sccqna was founded was deter- 

 mined to be the skull of Testudo Phayrei.^ it was not known 

 that the animal was so like that of Manouria ; but since that 

 time the two genera have been arranged in a special section 

 (see Appendix to Catal. Shield Reptiles, 1872, p. 7). The 

 animals of both resemble that of Testudo sulcata of Africa in 

 form and in the scales on the legs and thighs ; but that has 

 only a single caudal plate and a shorter head. 



XXXIV. — 0« Trionyx gangeticus, C^a;«Vr, Trionyx hurum, 

 B.H. and Dr. Gray. By Dr. Andeeson, Calcutta. 



Dr. Gray's characteristic reply* to my strictures t on his 

 understanding of the two species of Gangetic mud-tortoises 

 seems to indicate that his present knowledge of these species, 

 instead of being an advance on his ' Synopsis Reptilium,' is a 

 relapse into confusion and unreliability. It is not surprising, 

 therefore, that Dr. Gray and his friend conjointly were unable 

 to follow the drift of my remarks. But, although I may not 

 carry conviction to Dr. Gray's mind, I hope to be able, in the 

 the following observations, to prove satisfactorily to unpre- 

 judiced minds that the skull figured by Cuvier under the 

 name of Trionyx (janr/eticiis, and referred by Dr. Gray to the 

 Trionyx hurnni\ of Buchanan Hamilton, described at p. 47 

 in the ' Synopsis Keptilium,' redescribed in the ' Catalogue of 

 Shield Reptiles,' p. 6G, under the name of Trionyx gangeticus, 

 Cuvierj and again brought forward under the same name at 



* Auu. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 4. no. 54, p. 473. t Ihid. uo. 6-3, p. 382. 



X Dr. Gray, in his * Synopsis Eeptilinm/ under the name of T. hurum, 

 announces the brilliant discoveiy that " Cuvier's specimen appears to ' 

 have a peculiarity, in the web between the second and third fingers of 

 each foot being- pierced with a hole ; " and he further observes that these 

 remarkable solutions of continuity "are not noticed in any of Dr. Hamil- 

 ton's or General Hardwicke's figm-es from living animals." These holes, 

 which evidently suggest to Dr. Gray's mind a wide and interesting field 

 for further research, are made by the fishermen, who pass a cord through 

 them and tie the feet together to prevent the animals escaping ! 



17* 



