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Show 1870.] DR. J. E. GRAY O N N E W TORTOISES. 657 8. PELTASTES? MARGINATUS. Testudo marginata, Gray, Cat. Sh. Rep. p. 11. Peltastesl marginatus, Gray, P. Z. S. 1869, p. 173. Var. melas, or male. Testudo marginata, Schcepf's Testudin. tab. xi. & xii. A very fine and adult specimen in the British Museum, obtained from Mr. Parry, from Greece, is oblong, very solid, black, with more or less large white spots on the areola of each plate, and a triangular spot on the hinder upper half of the lateral marginal plates, more or less white-varied; the hinder marginal plates are very broad, expanded, and spread out behind ; the underside of the marginal plates is white, those of the front and hinder margins are edged with black ; the sternum is concave in the middle and shelving on the sides, more or less varied with white, white towards the hinder edge ; the hinder lobe is narrow, square, notched out behind; the anal plates nearly as wide as the abdominal; the front lobe is small, semicircular ; the gular plates thick, white, slightly notched in front; the humeral plates very convex, swollen; the pectoral plates rather narrow, with the front edge nearly straight, and the hinder concave on the sides. Length over the back 12 inches; caudal and the other posterior marginal plates 1^ inch wide ; the sternum 18| inches long; hinder lobe 3 inches wide. Adult male. Testudo marginata (specimen a), Gray, Cat. Sh. Rep. p. 11. Hab. Greece. There is a second specimen, without the sternum, with the hinder margin not so much produced, and the white on the lateral marginal plates more distinct. This specimen is something like Testudo greeca, Linn., Schcepf, Testud. t. ix., but it is not quite so yellow. Var. whitei, or female. Testudo whitei, Bennett in White's Selborne. A fine adult shell, with the hinder margin moderately expanded, and the caudal shield bent down and slightly inflexed; the sternum flat, the hinder lobe tapering behind, the anal shields being not more than two-thirds the width of the shields before them ; the pectoral shields very short, not above one-fourth the length of the abdominal shields on the inner half, the outer half about double the width and square ; the dorsal shields black; the areola varied with yellow ; the hinder upper half of the marginal plates varied with yellow ; the underside yellowish white, with a few irregular unequal-sized black spots. Adult female. The Tortoise described in White's ' Selborne,' and presented to the Museum in 1858 by Mrs. Christopher, niece of Mr. White. 9. PELTASTES LEITHII. Testudo leithii, Gunther, P. Z. S. 1869, p. 164. Hab. Scinde. I can see no difference between this and a young specimen of Peltastes marginatus in the British Museum, except that the shield is lighter-coloured; but the specimen of the latter was in confine- |
