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Show 610 MR. STANLEY S. ELOWER ON THE [May 16, It was caught at Siglap, Singapore, on the 14th December, 1883, in the presence of Mr. A. M. Skinner, Straits Settlements Civil Service. Hab. Tropical seas, sometimes occurs in the temperate seas. Suborder THECOPHOPA. Superfamily CRYPTODIRA. Family PLATYSTERNIDCE. 2. PLATYSTERNUM MEGACEPHALIJM Gray. Platysternum megacephalum, Blgr. Cat. Chel. etc. p. 46. The Big-headed Tortoise is mentioned in the British Museum Catalogue from Laos. In the Siamese Museum there is a stuffed specimen without locality ; it measures :- Length of bead about 60 mm. ,, „ carapace in median line 160 ,, „ „ tail 175 „ Hab. Burma, Siam, South China. Family TESTUHINID.E. 3. CALLAGUR PICTA Gray. 4. BATAGUR BASKA Gray. 5. HARDELLA THURGI Gray. References to the occurrence of these three species of water-tortoises in the Straits Settlements are given in P. Z. S. 1896 p. 858. At different times I have seen tortoises, some of great size, belonging to this group without being able to identify them, but there are at least two species in the Malay Peninsula, one of which inhabits the coasts (as Cantor remarks) as well as the rivers and ponds. One species (apparently Callagur pncta) is also found in Siam ; we have seen it at Bangkok. N.B.-Dr. Hanitsch (fteport Raffles Library and Museum, 1897, p. 8) records Kachuga lineata from Ulu Legeh. I have not seen the specimen. (5. DAMONIA SUBTRIJUGA (Schleg. & Miill.). Emys macrocephala, Giinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 31 (1864). Damonia subtrijuga, Blgr. Cat. Chel. etc. p. 94 (1889). The British Museum Catalogue mentions specimens from Siam (M. Mouhot and W. H. Newman) and Cambodia (M. Mouhot). This very handsomely marked and coloured little tortoise is numerous round Bangkok, living apparently always in freshwater ponds and canals and the swampy paddy-fields : in captivity they refuse all food except molluscs, the common blue mussel they crunch up and devour eagerly; they are themselves |