The Inhabitants of the Aquarium 241 



large irregular black blotch, so placed that 

 the inner part of the plastron forms one 

 broad yellow stripe branching toward the 

 outside. The lobes of the plastron are mov- 

 able, but not sufficiently so as to close the 

 shell. The head is of medium size, rather 

 flat, with the eyes placed very near the nose. 

 The neck is long and slender, black above 

 and golden yellow below. On its upper 

 side the head bears numerous clear yellow 

 dots on a black ground, while below, the col- 

 oration is the same as that of the neck. The 

 lower side of the legs and the soft parts of 

 the body are pale yellow, blending gradually 

 into the darker color on the upper side of 

 the legs. The feet are only partly webbed 

 and are armed with long claws. The slen- 

 der tail is black with yellowish gray stripes 

 above and below. This is a somewhat rare 

 species, occurring in the Atlantic and Middle 

 States. 



The Soft-shelled Turtle (Trionyx spinifer). 

 This is by far the oddest of the whole tur- 



