No. 409.] THE SCULPTURED TORTOISE. 21 
bony plate is accompanied by the absence of an overlying 
scute. Thus the first specimen illustrates two conditions: 
scute abnormalities «z7associated with bony abnormalities, as 
seen in the median and right centro-lateral parts; and scute 
abnormalities correlated with bony abnormalities, as seen in the 
anterior portion of the right marginal series. 
The second abnormal carapace was brought to my attention 
by Mr. C. E. Preston, to whom the specimen had been assigned 
for study, and who kindly prepared it for me. The animal 
was a male and came in all probability from Maryland. Its 
carapace, when prepared, measured 
about 15.7 cm. in length and 12.1 
cm. in breadth. 
At first sight the carapace (Fig. 
4) does not seem to be abnormal, 
but a closer inspection shows that 
there must be at least two abnor- 
mal regions, one in the scutes and 
the other in the bony plates; in 
both instances the abnormalities 
form symmetrical areas. The 
scute abnormalities occur in the 
posterior part of the marginal 
Fic. 5. — Outlines of the scutes on the 
posterior part of the carapace of (a) a 
series. On: both sides marginals. normal sculptured, tortoise and of (7 
he a to 
1 to 8 are entirely normal In and fourth right centro-lateral scutes 
8, 9, 10, eighth, ninth, and tenth right 
scutes; 2, right pygal scute; 
typical specimens (Fig. 5, æ) mar- i 
IV, V, fourth and fifth central scutes. 
ginal 8 is followed on either side 
by four scutes, — marginals 9, 10, 11, and the pygal scute. In 
the abnormal specimen (Fig. 5, 2), in place of these four scutes, 
only three are present. As it is impossible to state which scute 
of the four is absent, the condition may be described as a bilat- 
eral deficiency of one scute posterior to marginal 8. 
The bony plates of this specimen in the regions where scute 
abnormalities occur are essentially normal (Fig. 4), and the 
same may be said of those at the anterior end of the carapace. 
In fact, judging from the number and shapes of the plates, 
normal conditions may be said to exist between the anterior 
edge of the carapace and the transverse line marked by the 
