1870.] Reptilia and Amphibia from Central India. 341 



Bengal specimens of P. tectum, in which they are spotted with yel- 

 low. There is a ferruginous spot behind each eye, and three others,, 

 less well marked, in a convex line on the occiput. 



I obtained three specimens of this form, the following are the- 

 measurements of their carapaces in inches. 



Length. Breadth. Height. 



1, 4 3.2 2. 



2, 3.5 2.7 1.75 



3, 3 6 2 7 1.8 



Loc. All the specimens were procured at Chappa and Korba in 

 Bilaspur, on the Hasdo river, a tributary of the upper Mahanaddi 

 which it joins above Sambhalpur. I had named the Pangshura 

 above described, and intended publishing it as a separate species,, 

 when some specimens from the Jumna river near Agra sent by 

 Mr. Carlleyle to the Indian Museum were shewn to me 

 Tby Dr. Anderson. These agreed remarkably with my spe- 

 cimens in the coloration of the head and limbs, whilst the vertebral 

 plates shewed an intermediate form between the Bilaspur and Ben- 

 gal tortoises. This induced me to re-examine the fine series of spe- 

 cimens of P. tectum in the Indian Museum, and I found that al- 

 though none have vertebral plates of the same form as the Bilaspur 

 specimens, there is considerable variation, and the changes due to 

 age are much greater than I had at first supposed, or than previous 

 describers seem to have been aware of, and that a certain amount 

 of change takes place in the sternal plates also. Under these cir- 

 cumstances, I doubt if the coloration of the head and limbs alone 

 can be considered sufficiently important characters to justify speci- 

 fic distinction. In P. tectum from Bengal the head appears always 

 to be black in the centre above and red or yellow at the sides, and 

 the limbs to be spotted with yellow. 



In young animals from Bengal and frequently in larger speci- 

 mens up to about 4 inches in length, the first vertebral is pentagonal 

 with straight sides, and much narrower behind than in front. But 

 in old shells I find that the sides become curved as in the Agra and 

 Bilaspur examples, and that the difference between the breadth in 

 front and behind diminishes. The second vertebral increases in 

 breadth with age, and although it has never in Calcutta carapaces 



