244 Fresh Water Aquarium 



wards the point of the mouth, forming a 

 fork-like design with the open end toward 

 the eye. The very large and broad webfeet 

 are light olive, strongly mottled with black, 

 and armed with long, very sharp claws. 

 The tail, which is very thick and strong, 

 forming an effective rudder for this skilful 

 and rapid swimmer, is olive colored above 

 with two dark side-stripes, while the under 

 side is yellowish white. 



Soft and flabby as this turtle is, it has 

 good strong jaws and it knows so well how 

 to use them that it should not be kept in the 

 same vessel with fishes. If handled, it will 

 extend its long neck to the fullest limit and 

 try to nab an unsuspecting finger. The 

 Soft-shelled Turtle occurs in rivers and lakes 

 of the Eastern, Central and Southern States. 



The Southern Soft-shelled Turtle ( Triouy.V 

 fcrox) is only admissible in the aquarium 

 so long as it remains small. As it does 

 not differ much in shape from Trionyx 

 spinifex, a long description is unnecessary. 



