* 
A . Reptiles of Massachusetts. 5 
Body, above, compressed ; upper shell, greenish 
brown, with the edges of the dorsal and lateral plates 
margined with yellow. A very narrow yellow dorsal 
line passes from the anterior to the posterior mar- 
ginal plate; the marginal plates are darker colored 
‘than the other plates of the upper shell, having in 
their centre a bright red blotch, which is much larger 
upon the inferior side ; and over this blotch, one or 
two red markings, which are concentric upon the 
plates not attached to the sternum, and nearly 
straight upon the four plates which are thus at- 
tached; the red color predominates upon the under 
side of the marginal plates. 
First dorsal plate quadrangular: second and fourth, 
hexagonal; third, quadrangular ; fifth, heptagonal. 
Sternal plates yellow, with a triangular ribbon 
upon the anterior portion, and a straight one upon 
the middle and posterior portions, of a brighter tint. 
Back of the head, dark brown; directly back of 
the eyes, a broad yellow band; a narrower band of 
the same color runs also back, from the middle of 
the eye. From the tip of the snout, a narrow yel- 
low line runs to each eye; from the side of the 
mouth also, two lines pass to the middle of the eye, 
" and two from the lower edge of the jaw. From the 
extremity of the lower jaw, two larger bands run 
backwards; the first passes slightly down, then out- 
wardly to the angle of the lower jaw, whence it is 
continued by a broad bright yellow band ; within 
this, from the middle of the lower jaw, a narrower 
band of the same color passes back parallel with 
this ; and from the tip of the chin a band runs down 
. 
