CHELONE MYDAS. 347 



is found in the ponds in the Bay of Honduras : it is not much larger 

 than a crown piece, and is called by the Indians Shanqua 1 . 



[Family MARINA, Turtles. 

 Genus Chelone, Cut.] 



The Turtle 2 [Chelone mydas, Cuv.]. 



Most of the muscles that move the first bones of the extremities 

 [humerus and femur], instead of arising from the external surface of the 

 trunk-bones, as in a man, arise from the inside of those bones, or what 

 answer to them; for, in this animal, we have the properties [of its 

 class] in some particulars inverted ; for the muscles that arise from the 

 external surface of the trunk in common [i. e. in Beptilia and Vertebrata] 

 arise from the internal. 



Upon removing these muscles, and likewise the pelvis and the scapulae, 

 we have a view of the whole contents of the body. The abdomen, 

 thorax, and pelvis form one cavity without any marks of distinction 

 either by whole or partial separation. There seems but one muscle, 

 which arises almost all round the cavity and becomes tendinous on the 

 anterior part. The heart, indeed, is enclosed in a bag for itself, which 

 lies in the upper part of the common cavity, midway between the two 

 sides, and with its axis parallel with the axis of the body 3 . There was 

 a good deal of fluid in the abdomen, of a mucilaginous consistence, 

 which coagulated when exposed ; although the day was hot. 



The bladder, which is situated in the same place with the urinary 

 bladder in the more perfect animals, is certainly not the bladder of 

 urine in this animal ; because the ureters open into the common passage 

 just by the openings of the oviducts 4 . The bladder is similar to that 

 in the toad and frog, with respect to situation, and most probably use ; 

 and so far this animal is near these in order. 



The brain of the turtle does not fill the canity of the skull. There 

 is a strong tunica arachnoides, which is attached to the dura mater at 



1 [See p. 359 : probably the Emys ornata, Cuv.] 



2 [In the autumn of 1763 Mr. Hunter was requested to assist in dissecting a 

 turtle sent to Dr. Wm. Hunter by Robt. Adair, Esq., because " it was known that he 

 had dissected many." Hunter writes :— " The late Sir John Pringle, P.R.S., knowing 

 of this dissection, often desired me to collect all my dissections of this animal, and 

 send them to the Royal Society, which, if I had done, would have deprived Mr. 

 Hewson of the supposed honour of the discovery, but the publislung a description 

 of a single animal, more especially a common one, has never been my wish."] 



3 [Hunt. Prep. Phys. Series, No. 888.1 i [lb. No. 1272.] 



