34 CISTUDA CAROLINA. 



The sternum varies quite as much as the carapace in colour; sometimes it is 

 nearly black; most commonly, however, it is yellowish, with blotches of black or 

 dusky brown. 



The head is dark brown above, and marked with yellow spots or lines. The 

 jaws are horn colour, dotted with yellow spots or traversed by yellow lines. 

 The neck above is dusky, below it is dirty yellow, with a few red or yellow spots 

 or stripes. 



The anterior extremities are dusky in front, with several large yellow scales; 

 behind they are clouded-yellow. The posterior extremities are coloured like the 

 anterior, but have fewer yellow spots in front, and arc frequently entirely yellow 

 behind. The tail is dusky above, and marked with yellow spots or stripes; 

 beneath it is clouded-yellow or reddish-brown. 



Dimensions. Length of shell, 62 inches; breadth of shell, 4h inches; elevation, 

 2I inches; length of sternum, 5 inches 10 lines. 



Habits. The Cistuda Carolina is entirely a land animal; indeed, it is so bad 

 a swimmer, that it will drown at the end of a few days if thrown into Avater. In 

 the southern states it is always found in dry places, and is very numerous in 

 the immense pine forests of that country, and is hence frequently called pine- 

 barren terrapin, or cootcr, by the negroes — a word probably of African origin, 

 and applied to some similar animal. It feeds on insects, crickets, &c., and 

 according to Leconte, on fungous plants, as the Clavaria, &c. When in con- 

 finement, and it can easily be domesticated, it eats readily whatever is oflered, as 

 bread, potatoes, apples, ^c. It may well be doubted w^hether it destroys mice or 

 serpents for its food, as was believed by Bosc and Muhlenberg; yet it is not 

 impossible that an unwary snake or mouse might, by approaching too near the 

 animal, be accidently caught and held between the sternum and carapace, as the 

 animal will close itself upon anything that annoys it. We must not suppose, 

 however, that objects thus caught are its natural food. 



