FAMILY CHELONID^. 19 



occasionally with orange or red ; these stripes are irregular, waved, confluent. Chin and 

 throat dusky, with irregular yellowish longitudinal lines in a double series. The under sides 

 of the legs yellowish, with similar duplicated lines above, dusky with narrow yellow stripes. 

 Tail with narrow yellow longitudinal stripes. Eyes yellow, with a horizontal black stripe. 



Total length, 10-5. Height of shell, 3-0. 



Ditto of shell, 6 '5. Breadth, 5-0. 



Ditto of tail, r3. 



This species, which is not uncommon in the counties of Chautauque and Erie, in the streams 

 falling into the great lake, is more abundant in the western waters. I have never tasted their 

 flesh, but am assured that it is very palatable. They are exceedingly active and vigorous. 

 Until recently separated by Dr. Holbrook, two species have been confounded under one name. 



THE PSEUDO-GEOGRAPHIC TORTOISE. 



Emts pseudogeogbaphica. 



PLATE n. FIG. 3.— (CABINET OF THE LYCEUM.) 



Testudo geographica, Var. b, Les. Mem. Mus. Vol. 15, p. 268. 



Emys geographica. Say, Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil.id. Vol. 4, p. 210. 



Emys id. Var. a. Le Conte, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. Vol. 3, p. 110. 



E. lesueuri? Gray, Synop. Rept. p. 12, apud Griffith. 



Emys pseudogeographica. Holbrook, N. Am. Herp. Vol. I, p. 103, pi. 15. 



Characteristics. Shell elevated, carinate. Head moderate, with yellow stripes and large 

 confluent blotches. Size of the preceding. 



Description. Shell much more elevated than in the preceding species. First vertebral plate 

 smallest, elevated in the middle, somewhat pentagonal ; the following three six-sided, and the 

 last three-sided. A prominent dark-colored tubercle on the central line of the posterior verte- 

 bral plate, projecting backwards, and almost imbricated over the next succeeding plate ; these 

 tubercles are largest on the second and third plates, becoming eff'aced on the last. The other 

 plates of the shell present nothing distinctive. Sternum oblong, elliptic, of six pair, and widely 

 emarginate behind : The anterior or scapular pair small, triangular, with a small tubercular 

 process at the outer angle ; brachial plates truncate, triangular ; abdominal plates largest, and 

 united by lateral processes and an intermediate plate to the fifth, sixth and seventh marginal 

 plates ; femoral plates four-sided, the posterior angle projecting beyond the lateral margins of 

 the caudal pair. 



Color. Very much like the preceding, both in its general color and the distribution of its 

 markings. Edge of the marginal plates yellow. Sternum of a uniform yellowish color. Head 

 with numerous yellow lines, frequently forming one or more large rounded spots on the sides 

 of the head. 



Length, 5-0- 7-0. 



