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«b — 



Observations on the Chelonians 



of North America. IV. 



DR. R. W. 5HUFELDT, C. M. Z. 5. 



Melanemys guttatus 



Jh 



Most writers on our turtles and ter- 

 rapins include m this group — that is, the 

 genus Chelopus — four species, namely, 

 the Spotted Turtle (Chelopus guttatus), 

 Muhlenberg's Turtle (C. muhlenbergii), 

 the Western Pond Turtle (C. marmora- 

 tus), and the Wood Terrapin (C. in- 

 sculptus). Living specimens of all these 

 forms have been studied by me, together 

 with their structure and habits, many 

 times during the past half -century. In 

 1866 I had some forty living specimens 

 of our common Spotted Turtle, ranging 

 all the way from those just out of the egg 

 to ones of very advanced age. Even at 

 the present time I have a very beautiful 



Spotted Turtle 



specimen of this species — a female — 

 which I have recently photographed, and 

 a reproduction of which illustrates the 

 present article. It has been kept in one 

 of the aquariums in my study, and upon 

 the 10th of July, 1919, she laid an egg; 

 a second one on the 24th of the same 

 month, and a third two days afterward. 

 This is now three weeks ago, and none 

 have been laid since. I photographed 

 these three eggs, and they are shown 

 here, natural size. Again, above these 

 eggs, there is a reproduction of an egg 

 of the common Musk Turtle (Aromo- 

 chelys odoratus), and this I also photo- 

 graphed, natural size, the specimen hav- 



