CiNOSTEENID.®. EEPTILES. TEIONYCHIDiE. 
yellow, with large black blotches. 'I’he throat is 
striped with greenish. Length of shell, eight inches. 
ELEGANT TERRAPIN (P. elegans). — Ranges from 
the Rocky Mountains eastward to Illinois. The 
colors are brown, with yellowish heavy lines and 
blotches; a band, blood in color, on each side of 
the neck. 'I'he plastron is yellow, with a dusky 
blotch on each plate. 
ROUGH TERRAPIN [P.scalra). — Einys insculpta of 
Leconte. Is found along the sliore from Virginia to 
Florida. It is dark brown, with yellow stripes. The 
plastron is yellow, with small black blotches in front. 
Length of shell, eight inches. 
'I'he following species are recorded by DeKay : — 
Emys Jioridana : length of shell, fifteen inches ; color 
brown, witli numerous dashes of dusky. Inhabits 
Florida. E. reticulata : length of shell, nine inches ; 
color, dark brown, with yellow lines, and a yellow 
dorsal line ; neck very long ; feet striped with yel- 
low. Carolina and Georgia. E. serrata : length, 
twelve inches. Virginia and Georgia. E.concinna: 
length, eight inches. Georgia and Carolina. E. 
mobilensis : shell, fifteen inches. Alabama. E. ore- 
gonensis: length, eight inches. Columbia River. 
E. megacephla : length, eight inches. Tennessee. E. 
cumberlandensis : length, eight inches. Tennessee. 
Family— CINOS'I’ERNIDJE. 
'I’he Cinosternoid 'I'urtles. 
SMALL MUD-TURTLE {Ginosternum pennsylvani- 
cum). — Found in New York, and southward to 
Florida. 'I’he family and generic term indicates a 
movable sternum. 'I’he shell is a dusky-brown ; the 
head and neck with light stripes and yellow dots. It 
is the 'I’hiynosternum of Agassiz, and is called in 
some localities Small Box 'I’urtle. It abounds in 
muddy pools, living on fish. Length of shell, three 
and a half inches. 
MUSK-TURTLE {Aromochelys odoratus). — Sterno- 
thacrus of Bell, Ozotheca of Agassiz. 'I’his is 
abundant in the Eastern United States, westward to 
Indiana. It is distinguished by its exceedingly 
potent, musky odor. Length of shell, three and a 
half inches. 
LITTLE MUSK-TURTLE (A. carniatus).—GQmo- 
chelys minor, of Agassiz. Found in the Mississippi 
region. 
Family— CHELYDRID^. 
'I'he Snapping 'I’urtles. 
'i’his includes large and strong 'i’urtles, that are 
mostly aquatic in habit. 
COMMON SNAPPING-TURTLE (Chelydra serpen- 
tina). — 'i’his is a familiar form, and abundant in all 
parts of America north of Ecuador, generally in 
stagnant pools. It is extremely voracious, and feeds 
upon fish or any animal food that comes in its way. 
Notwithstanding this habit, the flesh is regarded as 
a delicacy. When caught there is always given out 
an odor of musk. Dr. Pickering records one as 
measuring over four feet in length. 'I’he shell is but 
about half this in length. 
MISSISSIPPI SNAPPER {Macrochelys lacertina).— 
Gypochelys of Agassiz. 'I’his is one of the forms 
called Alligator Snapper. It is common in the Gulf 
States, and north as far as Illinois. 'I’his species is 
regarded as the strongest and most ferocious of rep- 
tiles. 
Holbrook records a 'I'ortoise under the name of 
'I’emminck’s Snapper [Ghelonura temminclc.) 
FAMH.Y— TRIONYCHIDA]:. 
'I’he family name indicates a three-toed race, 'i’he 
species are called Soft-shelled 'I’urtles. 
COMMON SOFT-SHELLED TURTLE {Aspidonectes 
spinifer). — 'I’his is the 'I’rionyx ferox of numerous 
authors, and is abundant in the Mississippi River and 
the great lakes. 
CUMBERLAND TURTLE [A. nuchalis). — Inhabits 
the Cumberland and Upper 'I’ennessee Rivers. 'I’he 
carapace is ornamented with very large spines and 
tubercles. 
LEATHERY TURTLE [Amy da mutica). — 'I'he hab- 
itat of this 'i'urtle is the same as the preceding. It 
differs, however, in having no spines or tubercles, 
it is 'i’rionyx muticus of Leconte, Gray and Harlan 
and Symnopus muticus of Dumeril and Bibron. 
Family— CHELON ID JE. 
'I’he Sea 'I'urtles. 
Wallace, in Geographical Diet. Animals, presents 
this family as embracing two genera and five spe- 
cies, which are generally distributed throughout the 
warmer seas. Holbrook, in N. A. Herpetology , 1842, 
places the Sea 'I’urtles in family Thallasites of Du- 
meril and Bibron, and includes genera Clielonia and 
Sphargis. DeKay records all our American 'i'urtles 
under one family — the Ghelonidce. 
THE GREEN TURTLE [Ghelonia my das). — Chelone 
viridis of Wallace, 'i’his is a particularly well-known 
reptile, as its commercial importance is such as to 
bring it constantly in view during the colder season. 
'I’he waters around the islands or Keys of the Florida 
Reef abound in them, where a considerable number 
of men are employed to supply the Key West market. 
At the latter place the reptiles are confined in cages 
built in the shallow water, whence a steady sup- 
ply is kept up for the New York and Baltimore mar- 
kets by weekly steamers. We have seen the young 
of this 'i’urtle in great numbers in the channels 
among the remote portions of the sounds and inlets 
of Southern Florida. In several instances it has 
been captured off Coney Island at the mouth of New 
York harbor. Fine specimens are kept alive in the 
New York Aquarium, where the creatures show their 
peculiar habits; the manner of swimming, much like 
the flight of a bird, being an interesting exhibition. 
'I’he Green 'I’urtle is regarded as the best edible 
among the Chelonians. Its flavor is said to be en- 
hanced by feeding on the tender algae (Zostera 
marina) of the shallow waters of the Reef. Accord- 
ing to Agassiz, only two well-marked species of 
Clielonia, the present genus, are known, the second 
