CHELODINA LONGICOLLIS. 
acuto, producto, medio subelevatum ; humeralia parva, quadrilatera, margine exteriore 
longissimo, interiore brevissimo ; pectoralia maxima, irregulariter quadrilatera, alis 
antice profunde sinuatis ; abdominalia transverse quadrilatera ; femoralia trapezoidea; 
a?ialia subrbomboidea. 
Testee osseae mensura. 
unc. lin. 
Longitudo dorsi. 6 5 
Latitudo ejusdem. 4 8 
Longitudo sterni. 5 6 
Altitudo . 2 2 
Of this, the typical, and at present the only known species of the genus, 
little has hitherto been ascertained respecting its habits, and even its characters 
have been but imperfectly described. The first account of it is given by Dr. 
Shaw in the Zoology of New Holland, and in the General Zoology, accom¬ 
panied by a plate; but he observes that nothing was known of its manners 
or history. Schweigger, who states that he saw a living specimen in Paris, is 
also silent on this point. The acquisition of a very fine healthy individual, for 
which I am indebted to the kindness of my friend Walter Buchanan, Esq., 
has, however, enabled me to add some details of its mode of feeding and other 
habits, as far as can be ascertained in a state of comparative confinement. 
It has now been in my possession more than a year, and still continues in 
the best health. During the summer of 1834 it fed heartily, and almost vora¬ 
ciously on small living fish. It inhabited a small pond in company with four 
specimens of Emys concentrica. Wishing to ascertain the truth of the state¬ 
ment that the air-bag of fishes is rejected by piscivorous Testudinata , I placed 
six living dace in the tank with the five tortoises above mentioned : it was late 
in the evening. The next morning I found five air-bags floating on the surface, 
and one of the fish still swimming about. This took place generally, though 
not invariably, in several other instances; but I afterwards found that they 
ceased to reject the air-bags, at least as a general rule. It is exceedingly fami¬ 
liar, and will follow the finger from one part of the pond to another, in search 
