C H E L N I A. 



CHAPTER I. 



TESTrDO, LiNNAETIS, 



All the fossil turtles from Nebraska, which have come under my inspection, 

 belong to the genus Testudo. 



In the ordinary constitution of Testudo, the osseous carapace is composed of ten 

 vertebral plates, eight pairs of costal plates, and eleven marginal plates upon each 

 side of a symmetrical nuchal and pygal plate. 



Eg. 1. 



Fig. 1. Ideal view of the structure of 

 the carapace of Testudo. The dark out- 

 lines indicate the boundaries of the scutes; 

 the serrated lines, the limits of the plates. 5 

 Ivp — lOvp (niedianline), vertebral plates; 

 Icp — Sep Qright hand), costal plates; Imp 

 — limp, marginal plates; np, nuchal plate; 

 pp, pygal plate; Ivs — 5vs, vertebral scutes; 

 Ics — 5 (left), costal scutes; 1ms — 11ms, 

 marginal scutes; ns, nuchal scute; ps, py- 

 gal scute. 



The first vertebral plate is oblong quadrilateral; the succeeding plates, to the 

 eighth inclusive, are most usually hexahedral; the penultimate plate is inverted V 

 14 



