blanding's box toetoise. 659 



Color above brown, often tinged with reddish ; neck often with a yellow line upon 

 side, but not a prominent blotch ; plastron yellow, with black blotches ; under side of 

 neck, legs, and tail reddish, sprinkled with black ; plates of the carapax with concentric 

 and radiating striis on each, strongly marked, often with fine tuberculous points 

 within; vertebral plates transversely oblong, hexagonal, and alternating with the 

 costals ; the first .''pentagonal, the last irregularly sub-hexagonal ; marginal plates 

 twenty-five, with a wave-like indentation, and a distinct notch behind; plastron with a 

 deep notch between the two anal plates ; preaual plates broader than the pectoral ; all 

 the plates of the plastron quadrilateral except the gnlar, which are triangular ; sternal 

 shields often with visible concentric strias. Lenght, 8-10 inches. 



Habitat, Maine, Massachnsetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania ; west to 

 Eastern Ohio. 



Rare in the State. 



The Sculptured Tortoise, called also Wood Turtle, and Fresh Water 

 Terrapin, occurs usually in dry fields, but I have seen them in meadows 

 and along the borders of streams in spring. They are much less aquatic 

 than any of the other genera of the family, and in early spring the 

 males and females seemed to be together in damp localities. Later I 

 was able to find only females, and these were uniformly filled with eggs. 

 I had an opportunity from April to June, 1878, of observing them near 

 Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and in numerous cases found their flanks covered 

 with leaches, also saw small Helicidee adhering to their limbs, thus show- 

 ing one of the means of distribution of the latter group of animals. They 

 repair in autumn to streams and ponds, and prepare to hybernate by 

 burying themselves in mud. They are timid and retiring animals, but 

 when excessively irritated will snap at the offensive object, their means of 

 defence being a withdrawal into, and closure of the shell around them. 

 They emit a piping note, and feed upon the low field blackberry and 

 other vegetables. 



Genus EMYS. Brogniart. 



Carapax elongated, keelless, oval, considerably arched, and broadest posteriorly ; 

 plastron with a more or lees movable transverse hinge between the pectoral and 

 abdominal plates, and joined to the carapax by a ligamentous suture ; head depressed ; 

 tympanum distinct ; upper mandible notched ; alveolar margins narrow ; eyes and nos- 

 trils large. 



'Emys melbaghis Shaw. 



Blanding's Box Tortoise. 



Teetudo mtleagria, Shaw. 



Lutremya mileagris, Gkat, LeConte. 



Cistudo hlandingii, Holbrook, DbKat, Stoeer. 



Emys meleagris, Agassiz, Cope, Jordan. 



