1868.] DR. J. E. GRAY ON A NEW HYDRASPIS. 563 



4. Notice of Hydraspis gordoni, a New Species from Trinidad, 

 living in the Gardens of the Society. By Dr. J. E. Gray, 

 F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., &c. 



(Plate XLII.) 



Some living Tortoises belonging to the Society's collection have 

 been brought to the British Museum to,be determined and named. 

 Among them there is an Hydraspis, deposited in the Society's Gar- 

 dens in July last by the Hon. Arthur Gordon, Governor of Trinidad, 

 which I have not seen before, and which is not in the Museum col- 

 lection, at least in the adult state. It is the first species of the genus 

 that has been brought from the West-India islands ; all the others 

 are from the American continent. It is very distinct from all that I 

 have seen in the adult condition, but it may be only an adult specimen 

 of a species that has been described from a very young animal ; for, 

 unfortunately, as I observed in my paper on the family in 1864, the 

 species have been described from adult specimens and from very 

 young ones, and it is impossible to determine whether some of these 

 presumed species may not be young states of some that have been 

 described under different names, and vice versa. 



It is so uncommon to obtain a specimen alive and in an adult 

 state, that I think it had better be described and figured, even with 

 the disadvantage that one may be adding another synonym to the 

 list. 



Hydraspis gordoni. (Plate XLII.) 



Head rather large, crown flattish, with numerous small, flat, poly- 

 gonal plates, those on the middle of the crown more or less united 

 together, or only separated from one another by short lines of 

 dots, with an arched sunken line over each eye. The shields on the 

 hinder part of the head longer and more separate. The temple 

 covered with distinct convex plates, separated from each other by 

 well-marked grooves, those over the tympanum small, less distinct, 

 and forming an arched series. Chin and throat covered with small 

 acute plates; chin two-bearded. The sheath of the lower jaw 

 whitish. The shell depressed, dark brown, shelving to the front edge, 

 and slightly bent up on the side edge. The nuchal shield narrow, 

 elongate. The first vertebral shield the largest, nearly square, four- 

 sided, but rather narrower behind ; second and third similar, small, 

 with a small process on the middle of each side ; the front narrower, 

 elongate, nearly twice as long as wide. Sternum and lower side of 

 the margin white. Intergular shield broad, rather longer than wide ; 

 the anal notch large, semicircular. The animal blackish ; chin, 

 throat, and underside of limbs near axilla and groin whitish. 



Hab. Trinidad, near the mountain of Tamana (Hon. Arthur 

 Gordon) . 



The Tortoise is like Elseya latisternum in general appearance ; but 

 that animal has no nuchal shield, the anal end of the sternum is 



