TERRARIA AND AQUA-TERRARIA 



and rivers, where it lives on smaller animals, tadpoles, young frogs, fishes, 

 etc., and sometimes on land, when it lives on earthworms, snails, grass- 

 hoppers, crickets, etc. It is abundant in the eastern section of the United 

 States, and west to Indiana. 



CAry Jd'wjyj^zV/«(Herm.), or Painted Turtle, Checkered Turtle,has a sub- 

 oval, smooth, flattened carapace and broad, oblong plastron, nearly equal in 

 length with the shell. The head is small and rounded in front with an ob- 

 tuse snout. The upper jaw is entire at the sides, notched in front, and the 

 lower jaw is slightly hooked and turned upward in front. The fore-legs 

 are long and the five digits have short nails; the hind-legs are flattened at the 

 tarsus with five digits and four nails. The tail is moderately long and 

 narrow. The fine markings of the carapace are greenish-black with the 

 plates outlined in yellow, the marginal plates lighter and marked with 

 bright red. The plastron is bright yellow, and the head and neck above 

 are almost black, with yellow lines, and veined below in black and yellow. 

 Length of carapace 6^ in., breadth 41^ in., elevation 2^ in. Found in 

 ditches, ponds and rivers of almost the entire United States; one of the 

 , most common turtles, usually to be had of dealers. 



Kinosternon pennsylvanicum (Bosc), or Mud Turtle, has a slightly flat- 

 tened, oval and smooth carapace, with an oval, rounded shorter plastron. 

 The head is large, rather pointed at the snout, and the jaws very strong, 

 both furnished with a hook on the front of the cutting edges. The neck 

 is long and slender and the fore-legs short, rounded and covered with a 

 warty skin, and having five digits with short nails ; the hind-legs short, 

 flattened at the tarsus, and having five digits with four nails. The tail is 

 short, thick at the base, pointed, and horny at the end. The color of the 

 carapace is dusky-brown and that of the plastron variable, usually of a yel- 

 lowish color. The head is dark, flecked with yellowish spots. Length of 

 carapace 4ln., breadth 2^ in., elevation i^ in. Found from New York 

 to Florida. 



Aromochelys odoratus (Latr.), or Stink-pot, Musk Turtle, is very simi- 

 lar to the foregoing, but may be distinguished by the carapace having 

 more distinct plates with sharper edges and traces of a keel. It has a re- 

 pulsive, strong and musky odor. Length of carapace 6 in., breadth 4^ 

 in., elevation i^ to 2 in. Found abundantly in the waters of the East- 

 ern States and west to Illinois. 



Aspidonectes spinifer (Le S.), or Common Soft-shelled Turtle, has a 

 very much flattened, leathery, smooth sub-oval carapace and flat plastron. 

 The head is large, broad and rounded behind and so much pointed in 

 front as to form a prolonged cylindrical snout. The carapace is marked 

 front and back with a number of raised tubercles and the plastron is larger 



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