74 CLASS REPTILIA. 



sides of the head and jaws some yellow traits are visible, and 

 the tail is marked with four longitudinal lines of clear 

 yellow. 



This tortoise is found in North America. It appears to 

 delight much in deep and tranquil streams and solitary places. 

 When the sky is serene, and the atmosphere sufficiently 

 warm, they proceed in little troops out of the water, and 

 go to rest on the trunks of trees and neighbouring rocks. 

 Then, at the least noise, or on the approach of man, they 

 replunge into the water with the greatest rapidity. The 

 painted tortoise swims with swiftness, and walks slowly. It 

 can live a long time under water ; but it cannot exist on dry 

 land more than a few days. 



This tortoise, whose form is so elegant, and colour so 

 agreeable, is considered as extremely voracious. It is even 

 pretended that it will seize the young ducks which swim 

 above it, by the feet, and drag them to the bottom of the 

 water to devour them. Its flesh is considered by many 

 Americans as a wholesome and delicate food. 



Schoepff, in his history of tortoises, has given a complete 

 description of this species. He has moreover applied himself 

 to the disentanglement of the synonimy. He remarks that 

 Seba has described it under the name of the tortoise of New 

 Spain. This last author says that the Portuguese name it 

 radago (Tagno. He has given a tolerably correct figure. 



The painted tortoise of Hermann and Gmelin is certainly 

 the same species ; but they have evidently described a young 

 individual, for they state its size to be only that of a common 

 apple. All the other characters resemble the preceding, 

 with the exception of a double spot of blackish blue, which 

 they have observed on each side of the carapace. 



Schoepff received from Pennsylvania a young individual, 

 whose carapace was four inches long, two inches nine lines in 

 breadth, and one inch two lines in thickness. Its clear 



