34 EMYSSERRATA. 



Habits. The Emys serrata lives in ponds and pools of stagnant water, in the 

 neighbourhood of which it hybemates. During the spring and summer season they 

 are seen by hundreds basking in the sun, apparently asleep. They rest on the 

 margins of the pond, or on some little islet, or on the trunks of fallen trees, from 

 which, when disturbed, they plunge suddenly into the water, and disappear. They 

 live chiefly on such small reptiles as they can seize and devour; when in con- 

 finement, however, they will eat vegetable substances, of which the purslain 

 (Portulacca oleracea) appears to be their favourite food. 



Geographical Distribution. The range of this animal is very limited, reach- 

 ing only from Virginia to Georgia. I have never seen them beyond these points; 

 south its place is supplied by the Emys Floridana, north it is represented by the 

 Emys rubriventris; nor does it reach far into the interior of the country — I am 

 not aware of its existence two hundred miles from the coast. In the neighbour- 

 hood of Charleston they are abundant, and are brought to market in great 

 numbers; their flesh is considered good, but it is by no means as delicate as the 

 Emys terrapin, or the Emys reticulata. 



General Remarks. Daudin* was the first to describe this species of Emys 

 under the name serrata, from a specimen furnished him by Bosc, accompanied by 

 a tolerable plate, at least of the sternum. He speaks of it as follows: — "Bosc, the 

 naturahst, has lent me two tortoises he brought with him from North America, 

 which are closely allied. He has described one under the name Testudo reticulata, 

 and I shall give the other the name of Testudo serrata, the marginal plates having 

 each two incisions." To the list of synonymes already given, may be added per- 

 haps the Testudo scripta of Schoepf,t which many naturalists consider the 

 young of this species. This cannot be positively determined, for though the colour 

 and markings of the shell agree tolerably well with Schoepf 's animal, yet its form 

 is not precisely the same, it is more elongated; and even in the very young speci- 

 mens of which I have seen many, the posterior border is more or less serrated. 



* Hist. Nat. des Rept., torn. ii. p. 128. f Hist. Test., p. 16, tab. iii. fig. 2. 



