344 BARBOUR: ZOOGEOGRAPHY. 



than do those from Martinique, twenty-nine to thirty-three rows in six specimens. 

 Thus apparently the Dominican specimen recorded by Boulenger probably came 

 from St. Lucia (having twenty-seven rows), and the Guadeloupe specimen from 

 Martinique (having thirty-three rows), which is exactly what one would expect 

 from the fact that the pairs of islands are respectively British and French. 



While it is quite possible that the study of a large series of St. Lucian ex- 

 amples would firmly establish the fact that there was a peculiar species upon the 

 island for which Garman's name is available, it is quite impossible to recognize 

 this race, and then to identify the snakes from Martinique with those of the main- 

 land. This would convey an entirely false impression, as to their origin and 

 relationship. The individuals on both islands are all derived from the lanceo- 

 latus stock, which is widespread upon the mainland. Until more material is 

 available, it is impossible to attack this problem satisfactorily. We can not, 

 however, recognize a peculiar form which divides the range of the widespread 

 species. This would be contrary to what we hold to be a zoogeographic law. 



Since the preceding lines were written, I find that Mr. A. E. Brown has 

 recorded the scale counts for two specimens which were once brought alive to 

 the Philadelphia Zoological gardens, and which were said to have come from 

 Martinique. In these the scale rows were twenty-five in number. This fact, 

 coupled with the long known and singularly frequent inaccuracy of locality data 

 accompanying living specimens, which are shipped about from place to place 

 until they reach their final destination, is enough in itself to make it appear very 

 probable that these were really St. Lucian specimens. 



Chrysemys palustris (Gmelin). 



Gmelin, Syst. nat., 1788, 1, p. 1041. 



Chrysemys var. rugosa (Shaw). Boulenger, Cat. chelonians, etc., Brit, mus., 1889, p. 79. 



Chrysemys scripta palustris Gm. Siebenrock, Zool. jahrb. Suppl. 1909, 10, p. 464. 



This somewhat variable form is the only fresh water tortoise occurring in 

 the West Indian area. I have followed Stejneger (Rept. U. S. nat. mus. for 1902, 

 1904, p. 710) in ranking this form as a full species. There are specimens at hand 

 from Jamaica (type locality) , Cuba, Haiti, and Porto Rico. They do not, how- 

 ever, vary in such a way as to warrant the designation of varieties confined to 

 each island. Stejneger and I (Bull. M. C. Z., 1910, 52, p. 301) had both expected 

 that such subspecies might be defined. As yet, however, the material available 

 for study is very meagre. The species is very shy, and is usually confined to 

 lowland muddy ponds. 



Siebenrock (loc. cit.) follows Boulenger (loc. cit.) in recording the species 



