CHELONIA. 741 



The gulars are abruptly truncated anteriorly, their free marginal breadth equal- 

 ling, or nearly equalling, twice their length. The length of the postgulars is one- 

 fifth less than the length of the pectorals, and the latter are about one-third shorter 

 than the abdominals which equal the pectorals and two-thirds of the postgulars. 

 The preanals are about the same length as the pectorals, and the anals are two-thirds 

 as long as the preanals. The anal notch is broadly crescentic. In the young, the 

 proportions are different ; the gulars are as long as the postgulars, the preanals as 

 long as the pectorals and nearly one-half of the postgulars ; the abdominal nearly 

 equalling the pectoral and postgulars together. 



The muzzle is short, moderately broad and upturned, with a feeble concavity 

 between the anterior angle of the eyes ; the breadth between the eyes, anteriorly and 

 above, considerably exceeding the distance between their anterior angles and the 

 tip of the muzzle. The nostrils are close together, round, and directed forwards, 

 upwards and outwards. The eye is of moderate size. The jaw is serrated, with 

 two somewhat larger anterior teeth ; the margin of the upper ja^^' is downwardly 

 convex, and slightly upwardly curved posteriorly. A large quadrangular plate 

 behind the eye, with one narrow elongated plate below it, partially broken up into 

 smaller plates, between it and the gape. A large plate above the tympanum, 

 with some smaller transverse plates above it ; the plates of the opposite side 

 nearly separated from each other by the posterior extremity of the great plate 

 of the vertex. Skin of the neck very finely granular, which is the character of the 

 skin generally, with the following exceptions : on the inner half of the lower portion 

 of the fore limb there are a series of separate, moderately-sized narrow transverse 

 raised plates, with five large flat plates on the membranous posterior margin of this 

 portion of the Hmb, with two to four obscure small plates on the dorsum of each 

 toe, on both pairs of limbs. On the hind leg there is a small group of enlarged 

 transverse separate plates on, and near the hind margin. A transverse row of three 

 small plates on the under surface of the wrist, with a small patch of raised sharp 

 plates on the inner surface of the heel. The tail is more granular than the rest of 

 the skin, and is set with spiniferous granules. The tail of the male is considerably 

 longer than that of the females and projects much beyond the carapace. The claws, 

 five anteriorly and four posteriorly, are moderately long, and the webs of the toes 

 are broad and full. 



There is an indistinct pale-yellowish, almost white band, between the eyes over 

 the nostril, continued more or less over the superior posterior angle of the orbit, and 

 from behind the orbit, over the tympanum. The upper jaw is yellowish, tinged with 

 green about the nostrils. A broad leaden band through the eye, in the young, to the 

 angle of the mouth and embracing the tympanum, very obscure or absent in the adult. 

 A feeble greenish band from the chin along the throat in the young, disappearing or 

 becoming feeble with age. The upper surface of the head and neck is olive-brown, 

 with a more olive hue on the neck, which is also the colour of the upper surface of the 

 limbs. The sides of the neck have a few obscure palish spots, and the under jaw and 

 cliin, throat, and neck are pale yellowish. The under surface of all the remain^ 



