Proceedings of the United States National Museum

434 STATES

OIV

THE NORTH AMERICABT

I.ANI)

TORTOISES OF THE

CEIVIJS

XEROBATS£8.

By FREDERICK

^V.

TRUE.

[Read^beforetlieBiological Society ofWashington,Dec.23, 1881.]

The

landtortoises,towhichthis paperisintended to direct attention, are thosewhicharefoundlivingwithintheborders of the United States at the present time.

The

species, threein number, I shall recognize underthe

names

Xerohates polyphemus (Daudiu) Cooper, the Gopher;

XerobatesAfjassiziiCooper, Agassiz'sTortoise,

and

Xerohates Berlandieri Agassiz, Berlandier's Tortoise.

The

Gopher,tospeakin general terms, inhabitsthe southeastern

and

southern parts of the United States, Xerohates Agassisii the south- western portion,

and

X. herlandieri the extreme southwest

and

north- eastern Mexico.

I.

TAXOIs^OMY AKD DESCEIPTIOE OF SPECIES.

History of Xerobates polyphemus. —

In tracing the history of thefirst of these animals, X. polyphemus,

we become

involved at once ina whirlpool of conflicting opinion

and

uncertainty.

The

firstallu- sion to itin zoological literatureappears tobein Seba's

work upon

the curiosities of his

museum,* where

an imperfect figure is given under the

name

"Testudo terrestris major americana." jSTo mention of it

occurs in the tenth edition of Linnteus'

Systema

Xaturoe, but in the interval between the publication of this edition

and

the twelfth the great naturalist seemsto

have had

his attention called to Seba's figure, forin the latter edition he cites ^it asthelast

synonym

under his Testuclo Carolina.]

From

this fact

and

the additional one that inthe thirteenth edition of the

Systema

Naturae,Gmelin, thinkingto improveLinne's

somewhat

incompletedescription of T.Carolina, added certain remarks on the characteristics of the plastron

drawn

from a study of theanimal portrayedin Seba's work,|

some

naturalists have thought themselves justified in regarding T. (or X.) Carolina as the l)roper

name

forour gopher.

That

thisisnot a correctview of thecase

is

made

evident

by

the consideration of the firstof Linne's references, the onlyone which occurs in the tenth edition.

The

citationis from George Edwards' Natural History, published between 1743

and

1751.

i^

_________^

^,

*Seba,Albert. Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri accurata descriptio et icouibusartiiiciosissimis expressio,per universam physices historiam. Amsterdam, 1734-1765,i, pi. 80, fig.1.

tLiund,Syst, Nat.,12thed., 1766, vol.i, p.353.

tGmelii^Linn.Syst.Nat.,xiiied.,i, pt.3,1788, p.1041.

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 435 The

phrasequotedis as follows:

"Testudo

tcssellataminorcaroliniana,

Edw.

An. 205, t. 205."*

On

the

same

pagein Edwards'

work

onwhich this phrase occurs, the following descrij^tion (if

we may

trust the ac- curacy of Holbrookt) is given:

"The

lowershell is divided across the middleofthebellyandjoinedto theuppershell onthesides

by

atough

flexible skin,

by means

of which itcan,

when

^itdrawsin its

head and

legs, close

up

^{its shell,} as firmly as that of an oyster._| It is evident that thisdescription

was

taken from a specimen of the

box

tortoise,

denominated Cistudo clausa in Cope's check-list,_§ but which should undoubtedlyreceivethe

name

CistudoCarolina.

It does not

seem

probable that Linne

would

have confounded

two

species so distinct as the boxtortoise

and

the gopher,ifhe

had had

defi- niteinformationregarding the latter.

He ^was

undoubtedly misled

by

the imperfectionofSeba'siigure,

and made

to believe thatitportrayed the

same

animalwhich

Edwards had

described.

That it

may

appear still

more

clearlythat Linne's T. Carolina is the

box

tortoise, I willquote the pertinent paragraphfrom Miiller's Linne's Systeraa Naturae, atranslation of the 12th edition,in which extended descriptions of

many

^animals are given.

The

author states in his preface that he has

had

access to

much

of the materialwhich Linne

had

elaborated.

The

description of Testudo Carolinais as follows:

"11.

The Carolina Tortoise.

Testudo Carolina.

—

^{This animal is}

named

from its native country,butis alsocalled Turapin

by

the En-

glish,

and

Terrapeu

by

the Spaniards. It is smaller than the preceding species[T.graeca],and isas

much

tessellated,butinsix-cornered pieces,

and

is still furtherdistinct in that it has no ^tail.

The

^color of the l)lates is dark brown, abundantly sprinkled with yellow patches of different sizes.

The

plastron is likewise different from that of the former animal,forit iscleft inthe middle,

and

is attached tothe upper shield on the sides only

by

skin so that it can be closed

when

the animal wouldhide himself entirely.

The

head is yellow

and

provided withscales, similar ones also beingonthe forefeet; thelongneck and the hind feet are of bluish flesh-color.

As

regards the claws, there arefive ontheforefeet

and

four on the hind feet, as in the preceding species."_II This description, taken apparently from a very well pre- served specimen,

and coming

as it does before Gmelin's unfortunate additions, leaves little doubt but that the

box

tortoise should bear the

name

Testudo (or Cistudo) Carolina. In this opinion I

am

sup- ported

by

Holbrook, Dumeril, Strauch, Say, Harlan,

and

Gray, while

Le

Conte, Louis Agassiz,

and

Cope, at least in hischeck-list, entertain

*Linn.Syst. Nat,,10thed.,1758, p, 198.

tHolbrook, N.A. Herpetology, Istetl.,i, 1836, p.45.

tEdwards, G.

A

natural history ofuncommon birds, and of some otherrare and nondescribed animals(=Linne's"Edw. An."). London, 1743-51,p.205.

$Cope,Bull. U.S.Nat. Museum,No.1,1875, p. 53.

IIMiiller,P.L.S. Des Linn^VoUstiindigesNatursystem,ThirdPart, 1774, pp. 44-45.

a contraryview.

Gray

proposed the

name

T. gopher^ but

many

years after Dauclin

had

given the tortoiseaname.

The

nextmention of the gopherin literature,succeeding that occur- ringinSeba'sunfortunateplate,isthefull

and

tolerablyaccuratedescrip- tion giveninWilliam Bartram'saccountof his travels in the Southern States,published in 1791.* Itisdescribedinthis

work

under the

name

"gopher." This appelation

was

undoubtedly first given tothe animal

by

the Spanish settlers ofFlorida, the Spanish

word

"golfa,"

meaning

pit orburrow, being veryappropriate, as x>ointiug to one of the most noticeable proclivities of the gopher, namely, the digging of pits or holes in the ground.

The

derivationof the first syllable of the word

"mtmgofa,"a

name

given

by

Holbrook in later years asone inpopular use, 1 have been unable to determine. It

may

be a corruption of

"muiion,"

brawn

or muscle,

and

refer to the great strength of theani- mal, or

may

beof Africanorigin.

Daudin,inhisNaturalHistory ofKeptiles,publishedin1803,t appears not to have noticed the remarksof

Gmelin upon

Linne's T. Carolina^

accepts Bartram's statement as to its being an entirely

new

species, gives itthe

name

Testiido polyphenius,

and

addsa latindiagnosis.

He

also paraphrases Bartram'sdescription

and

notes.

In latertimes thegopher has beendescribed

among European

writers

by

Bosc, in 1803,under the

name "La

Tortue Gopher";

by

Gray, in 1831, 1844,

and

1855, under the

names

" Testudo imlyphemus^^''

and

^'Testudogopher.''''\ Holbrookplaces T. depressaof Cuvier,§

among

his

synonyms

ofT.polypJiemus,\\ butajiparentlywithoutreason, for nothing relative to thetortoiseexcept the words^"T. depressa, Cuv." appears in that

work

on thatpageorelsewhere.

Among

the earlier

American

zoologists

who

havewritten regarding the gopher I

may

mention Say,

who

wrote in 1825, using the

name

T.polypJiemus;^

Le

Conte,

who

wrote in 1829 _(?), employing the

name

T.Carolina;** Harlan,

who

wrote in 1829, applying the

name

T.poly-

phemus;^ and

Holbrook,

who

wrote in 1836

and

1842, using the

name

T.polyphenius._||

A

^{list of all}the writings inwhichreference to this

and

theremaining speciesof North

American

Testudinidm indisputably occurs, such asI

*Bartram,W. Travelsthrough NorthandSouthCarolina,«&c. Philadelphia,1791, pp. 182-183.

tDaudin. Histoire Naturelle desReptiles, Paris,ii, 1803(X),pp.^256-259.

tBosc. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., xxii, 1803, p.269.—Gray,SynopsisReptilum,Pt.I, p.11{T.pohjpUemus); Gray,Tort.BritishMuseum, 1844,p.4 (T. gopher); Gray, Shield Keptiles, Pt.I,1855, p.5 {T. gopher).

§Regne Animal,^ii, p. 10.

11Holbrook, N. A. Herpetology, 1st ed.,i, 1836,p.41.

HSay, Jour. Acad.Nat.Sci. iv, pi.ii, 1825,pp.^207-208.

**LeConte, AnnalsLye. Nat.Hist.,

New

York, iii,1828-1836,pp.97-100.

ttHarlan,Jour.Acad. Nat.Sci.Phila., vi,pt. i, 1829, pp.21, 22.

U

^Holbrook,N.A. Herpetology, 1sted.,i, 1836,pp.41-46; 2ded.,1842,pp. 25-30.

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 437'

have been able to

make up

from the literature at

command,

will be found atthe closeof this article.

Establishment of the genus Xerobates. —

^{In1857, Louis} Agas-

siz placed the

American

gophersin the

new

genus Xerohates,adistinc- tionwhich has beenaccepted

by

Cope,*Gray, and other herpetologists.

The

charactersof the genus are basedon theformof the alveolarsur- facesofthejaws

and

on theformoftheforefeet

and

claws.

The

latter characters,however, in

my

opinion, are of less genericvalue than the former, since X. Berlandieri, which agrees with X. polyphemus

and

X.

Agassiziiinformof alveolar surface,hasforefeet butlittlecompressed;

and

eveninthetwolast-namedspeciesthe

amount

of com^jression varies considerably.

The

bluntness of the claws is

due

largely tothe nature of the soil in which the animals live

and

to their habit ofburrowing.

The

claws of the young, in all the species, are sharp,

and

but little

compressed,although almostperfectly straight.

History of Xerobates

Agassizii.

— ^The

^{history of the scientific}

discoveryof the western gopher, unlike that of its easternrelative, is

a verysimple one.

The

tortoise

was

first

made known

to science

by

Dr. J.G. Cooper inapaper on -'New Californiau Animals," read before theCalifornia

Academy

of Sciences, July 7, 18G1,

and

published in the second

volume

of the proceedings of thatsociety, issued in 1863.

The

descriptionis as follows

:

" ProfessorBaird thinks with

me

that the followingwillundoubtedly prove a

new

species, afteracomi^arison of specimens

:

"Xerobates

agassizii.

—

^Agassiz's Land-Tortoise.

^^Spec. char.

—

Young, with the carapaxhigher

and more

archingthan in X.carolinus; the margin serrateallround, the primarydisks of the scales projecting from a tenth to an eighth of aninch. Colorof pri-

mary

disks entirelypaleyellow, the annual ringsof growth onlybeing dark brown.

(Young

just hatched,probablyallyellow.)

^^Bemarks.

—

^{Closelyresembles}X. caroUnus, the 'Gopher' ofFlorida

and

the other Cotton States,of which no descriptions accessible are full

enough

toenable

me

to point out all the differences.

But

as an- otherspeciesintervenesbetweentherangeofthat

and

thisone,uamely, X. berlandieri of Agassiz, found in Southern Texas

and

Mexico, I feel confidentthat comparison of specimens will

show

constantdistinctions between them.

From X

berlandieri it diifers even

more

than from carolinus. Besides the serrate margin, which is

most

distinct in

my

youngest specimens (four years), while Agassiz's figure of the

young

hasno serrations,

and

different coloration, it has but twenty-fourin-

steadoftwenty-six marginal scales(abnormalinhis figuredspecimen!),

and

theprimarydisk of the vertebral scales is

more

thanhalf aslong (antero-posteriorly) as it is broad, instead of about twice as broad as long.

The

otherscales also differin detailsof form.

*Cope,Bull. U.S.G.

&

G.Survey,iv, 1878,p.393.

438

"Three young

specimens, amaleof seven years of age,

two

females of six

and

four years, obtainedfromtbe mountainsof California, near FortMojave."*

The

next account published is the very

meager

one contained in Oronise's "Natural

Wealth

of California," issued in 1868.

The

her- petology of this

work was

outlined orwritten, in part or entirely,

by

Dr.J. G-. Cooper.

The

paragraph relating to Agassiz's Tortoiseisas follows^: " Agassiz's Tortoise(1. XerobatesAgassizii)isfoundonlyin the southeast quarter of California, which isboth the driest

and

warmest.

They grow

a foot in length,

and

livewholly onvegetablefood, closely resembling the tortoise called

Gopher

(i. e., burrower), in the Gulf States.

They

are like that

and

most other species,eatable, but not verywellflavored."t

The name

Xerobates Agassizii alone appears again in Dr. Cooper's paperon ^"

The Fauna

of California

and

its Geograi)hicalDistribution,"

read before the California

Academy,

September 6, 1869,|

and

also in Cope'sCheck-listof Eeptiles,published in 1875.§

These descriptions

and

allusions, together with oneotherto whichI shall presentlyrefer, complete, so faras I

am

aware, the literature of the subject.

As

^theydo not furnish sufi&cient datafor the identifica- tionof the matureanimal, I have judged it notunimportantto

add

a description of the species,

drawn

from acareful study of specimens of adults and

young

inthe National

Museum, and

to point out the charac- ters which separateitfrom Xerobates polyphemus.

Description of Xerobates

Agassizii Cooper.

— ^The

^{shell is con-}

siderably depressed,

and

nearly flat above. Its margin is serrate all

around,, except in specimens

worn by

attritionwith the soil, but most stronglybehind

and

in front,

and

is quite strongly revolute over the thighs and shoulders.

The

centerof eachplate of the carapace (with the exception of the marginals) is raised, forming a sortof boss; the bosses of the anterior

and

penultimate vertebral plates arenot promi- nent.

The

vertebral plates arefive in

number;

the anteriorhexagonal, the shortest side abutting against the nuchal plate; the second hex- agonal, theposterior sidelongest; thethird hexagonal, theanterior

and

posterior sidesofequal length; the penultimate hexagonal, theanterior sidealittle thelongest;theposteriorhexagonal, the posterior sidelong- est,the posterioranglesveryobtuse,

making

the plate appear almost quadrilateral.

The

firstlateralplate is irregularlyheptagonal,but the anteriorangles areveryobtuse, sothat theplate oftenappearstobequad- rilateralor rudely triangular,with aroundedinferior side.

The

second

and

third lateralsare heptagonal, the lower angles asbefore; the fourth

is quadrilateral, the anterior side a little the longest.

The

marginal

*Proc. Cal.Acad. Sci.,ii, 1863, pp. ^120,121.

tCronise,TheNaturalWealthofCalifornia,SanFrancisco, 1868, p. 480.

tProc.Acad. Cal. Sci., iv,1873,p. 67.

$Cope, Check-list N. A. Bat.

&

^Eept.,Washington, 1875, p.54.

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 439

plates aretwenty-fouriunumber.

The

nuchalisirregularly quadrilateral, broadest behind.

The

supra-caudalissingle,large,twiceaslongas high,

and

butslightlybulging. Itstandsin analmostvertical position.

The

firstmarginalplateisirregularlypentagonal; thesecond

and

thirdquad- rilateralorpentagonal; thefourth ijentagonal; the fifth quadrilateral;

the sixth pentagonal; the seventh to the eleventh, inclusive, quad- rilateral. All the plates are about equally striated with concentric lines.

The

sternum isverythick,

and

in adultsextends aboutan inch be-

yond

the anterior edge of the carapace.

The

gular j)lates together form an eloogated pentagon, but there is sometimes a deep notch between

them

anteriorly.

The

brachial plates are quadrilateral, the free border longest; the anterior borders, which receive the posterior sidesof the gularplates,togethercresceuticin outline.

The

surfaceof theseplates, unlike that of those of X. polypJiemus, is level inthe an- tero-posterior direction.

The

thoracic plates are rudelj^ quadrilateral, narrow,and butlittleexpandedat theirouterextremities.

The abdom-

inal plates are nearly quadrilateral, but less nearlysquarethan in X.

polyphemtis.

The

femoralplates are alsorudelyquadrilateral,but

much

narrower than in X. polypliemus^ the interior lateral border being scarcely

more

than halfthelength oftheanterior side.

The

subcaudal plates,which donot differfromthose of the eastern species,arerudely quadrilateral, the interior lateral borderbeing alittle shorterthanthe exterior.

Thesecharacters, as iu all tortoises, arequite variable

and

unsatis- factory.

Fig. I.—X. POLYPHEMUS. ^Fig. II.—X. Agassizii.

Contourof the head shown bypassing a planethroughthe lowest point of the orbit parallel totheuppersurfaceof thehead.

The

headisconsiderablycompressedatthe sides and elongated. Its superiorsurfaceis covered with flatscales,which decreasein sizeback- ward,andareusuallydividedintopairsbetweentheeyes,andverylarge.

The

nostrilsarequitesmall

and

neartogether,andare raisedalittleabove the upper edgeofthesheath of theupperjaw.

The

eyes are large

and

440 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

look alittleforward; theyaresituatedhigh inthehead.

The

jaws are irregularly but quite finely serrated, the margins being almost in a straightline.

The

sheath of the upper

jaw

isvery high, between the snoutand the eye,butbecomes narrowedabruptlyunderthe eye.

The

neck isofmoderate length, with granulated skin.

The

anterior extremities are large, stout,

and more

orless compressed in the anteroposterior direction.

The

^claws, five in number, are short, stout, andnot curved.

The

scales on the anterioraspect of the

arm

are all approximatelyequal in size. Those on theexterior edge arealittlelarger.

On

theposterior surface the scales decreasein size gradually from the exterior tothe interioredge.

The

posterior extremities are terete,the feet elephantoid, the soles beinglarge

and

roundin contour.

The

scales surroundingthe edgeof the sole are large, the

two

posterior ones beingverythick

and

broad.

The

four nails or claws resemble those of the fore feet, but

show

a slight tendencyto curve. There are

two

or three prominentscaleson the posteriorpart of thethigh.

The

tail, althoughveryshort, isconsiderably longerthan that of X.

polyphemus.

The

general colorofthe whole animal is brown.

The

centersof the platesofthecarapaceintheyoung,andin

some

adult specimens,islight

tawny

yellow.

The

colorofthe plastron isusually alittlelighterthan the generalcolorof the carapace.

In this description Ihave followedas closely as possible that given

by

Dr. Holbrook,forX.polyphemtis, in order that the

two may

becon- trasted.

Specific distinctions.

— ^The

^leadingdifference instructOTcbetween

X

^polyphemus

^and

^{X. Agassizii,}onewhich is constantin allages, is in the size of the fore feet as compared with the size of the hind feet.

Thisdistinction

may

beformulated asfollows:

The

distance from the base of the first claw of the hind foot to the base of the fourth claw equalsthe distance from the base of the first claw of the fore foot to the base of the third claw in X. polyphemus; the fourth clawin X.

Agassizii.

Again

X.j)olyphemus, atallages,has the^anteriorend of theplastron bent

upward

quitesharplytoward thecarajjace, a characterwhich does notoccurinX. Agassizii.

The

inguinal platesofthe formerspecies do not usually exceedfourin

number —

^onelargeone

^{and two}

^orthree small onesinternal toit

— and

aresetobliquely. ThoseofX^.Agassiziiareusu- ally fiveor six in

number — ^two

large ones

and

three or four smallones between

them — ^and

are set vertically. X.polyphemushas onescale on the inner aspect of theknee-jointof theforeleg veiy

much

larger thiin the others covering that

member,

while in Agassiz's Tortoise allare approximatelyequal. This character is mostnoticeable in theyoung.

The

hornyshe'ath of the upper

jaw

extends furtherbackof the eyein X. polyphemus thaninX.Agassizii. Othercharacters oflessimportance

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 441

might be added,but thesewill suflQce,Ithink, torender the

two

species readily distinguishable.

The

relativeproportionsof thefore and hind

feetisa matter of especialimportance.

History ot Xerobates Berlandieri. — ^The

third species to be considered isXerobatesBerlandieri Agassiz,the onlypublisheddescrip- tion of which is contained in Agassiz's Contributionsto the Natural History of the United States, volume i, page 447.

The

notice is so short thatI will quote it infull. Itisas follows:

"Xerobates

ber- landieri, Ag.

The young

^is represented PI. 3, ^fig. 17-19. It hasa small yellow dot in the centre of the

median and

costal scales; the marginal scales areonlyedged with yellow.

The

sternum is narrower

and more

jjrojectinginfrontthanthat ofX.caroUnus; inthe adultitis

even forked.

Behind

it is broader and

more

turned

downward. The

centreof the scales remains granular for a longer time.

The

gland of the lower

jaw

is larger

and more

prominent. This species is smaller than the preceding,

and

limited to southern Texas

and

Mexico. All the specimens thatI have seen were forwarded to

me

for examination

by

the Smithsonian Institution.

They

were collected

by

the late Mr.

Berlandier,a zealous French naturalist, to

whom we

are indebted for

much

of

what we know

of the natural historyof northernMexico."*

The

useof Berlandier's

name

in the denomination of this speciesis

veryappropriate, since that unfortunate naturalist

was

not only the

firstto collectspecimensofthe tortoise,but

was

the firstto describe it.

Hismanuscripts, deposited in the Smithsonian Institution, containan extendeddescriptionofthe animal,underthe

name

Testudo tuherculata^

togetherwith a carefully-drawnfigure,and

some

notesonitsdistribution.

Mentionof thisanimaloccursin latertimesinthe writingsofStrauch,t Gray,fBaird,§andCope,||but,withtheexceptionofthelasttwonatural- ists, allregarditmerelyasa

synonym

ofA",polyphemus. ProfessorBaird enumeratesit

among

others as aseparatespecies, giving the scientific

name

which Agassizhas applied

and

the

common

name,

"Texas

Gopher."

Cope

alsoemploysAgassiz'sname,

and

adds,

"I

obtained a specimenof thislaudtortoise,collected

by

Mr.

Marnock

in the southwestern partof the State [Texas], where, according to that gentleman, it is

common.

He

^hasalso founditnear

San

Antonio. I did not meetwithitonthe

first plateau." That it is a separate species I think no one

who

has

compared

the heads of the

two

can doubt.

The

following description isintended to

show

that Berlandiei'sTortoise isa species entirelydis- tinctfrom the gopher,

and

not merely avarietyofthelatter asStrauch

and some

otherwritershavesupposed.

Description of Xerobaies Berlandieri. —

Shell short

and

high, slightly emarginate

and

revolute in front, strongly incurvated behind.

*Agassiz, Cont. Nat. Hist.U.S.,i, 1857,p.447.

tStrauch,Mem.Acad.Imp. Sci. St.Peterbourg,vii series, viii,1865, article13,p. 28.

tGray,J. E.,Proc. Zool. Soc.Loudon, 1873,p. 723.

§Baird,HerpetologyMex. Bound.Survey,1859, p.4.

IICope,Bull.U.S.N. Museum,No.17, 1880,pp. 13and^47.

Of

the five vertebral plates, the anterior is pentagonal, the two pos- terior angles right angles; the second

and

third are hexagonal, the anterior and posterior lateralmargins approximately equal; the fourth

is hexagonal, the jiosterior lateral border longer than the anteriorlat- eral

and

carvedinward; the fifth is hexagonal, the anterior lateral bor- ders longest.

The

first lateral plate is quadrilateral (or resembles a triangle with a rounded apex), the lower border presenting rounded angles,

and

joined to the first four marginal plates; the second

and

thirdare hexagonal,thelowerangleveryobtuse; the posterior isquad- rilateral

and

in adults nearly square. There are twenty-fourmarginal plates.

The

nuchal issmall, quadrilateral, largest in front, orsquare;

the supra-caudal is quadrilateral,but considerably less than twice as broad ashigh.

The

marginal plates differ

much

in differentspecimens.

The

first is rudely pentagonal, usually with an acute angle directed toward the nuchal; the remainder are irregularly quadrilateral; the sixth, however,is sometimes ijlainly pentagonal. In adults, the center of theeighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh plates is usuallystrongly de- pressed,the freeborder beingrevolute.

The

sternumis broad

and

convexatthe sides,

and

extendsaninch or less

beyond

the carapacein front.

Each

gular plate is quadrilateral.

They

are united, the anterior border of the resulting pentagon being invariablyemargiuate, often very strongly notched.

The

^{nuchal plates} change shapetoa remarkable degree from youth tomaturity. In the newly-born animal they arebroad

and

short, but in theadult they are narrow

and

elongated.

The

brachial are quadrangular; in theadult, bothfree

and

posteriorborders convex.

The

^thoracic arerudely quad-

rilateral,

and

very narrow at their juncture in the

median

line.

The

femoral are quadrilateral, very long

and

broad, covering

more

than a third of thesternum; the anterior

and

posteriorborders i)arallel.

The

abdominal are rhomboidal, the exterior side longer than the interior,

and

convex.

The

sub-caudalarequad- rilateral,with a notchof

medium

depth between

them

posteriorly.

The

axillary areusually threein

number —

onelarge one between

two

small ones.

The

in- guinal are also three in number, ar-

rangedas arethe axillary plates.

The

head isslightlyelongated, deep,

and

from the eyes forward

wedge-

shaped; itiscovered withflatscalesof Fig. III.—X. Bkrlandieri. moderate sizewhich in adults are ap- Contourofbeadobtainedas before, proximatelyequal. In the

young

the scalesonthefore part of thehead are clearly largerthanelsewhere

and

are divided intopairs, but these distinctions

become

uuappreciablein theadult. Thereisusuallyalsooneverylarge scaleover the

tympanum.

Nostrilsmoderate.

Eyes

large, set obliquely,

and

lookingslightly for-

\

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSUEM. 443 ward

^: lowerlidabout three times as broad asthe upper.

Jaws

short aiid tbick; sheaths short aud deep, thatofthe upper

jaw

euding under the middleoftheeye; a depressionbeneaththeeye.

The

twotooth-like l)rocesses atthe symphysisof the lower

jaw

large

and

high,giving the cutting marginaconcave outline.

Anteriorextremities not greatlylargerthan theposterior, frequently compressed in the anteroposterior direction, but sometimes nearly terete. Five clawswithstout nails.

The

whole anterior surface ofthe leg covered with very large founded scales, approximately etpial in size. Scaleson the sole of the foot large.

The

posterior extremities are terete

and

clavate,

and

bear four ^flat- tened, pointed nails. Scales onthe heel large,

two

especially so.

Color of the carapace yellowish-brown, the surface within the smaller striaof each plate yellow. Sternumlight dirty yellow.

Head

andlegs yellowish gray.

Jaws

yellowish.

Specific distinctions.

— ^{The main}

differences which separate X.

Berlandieri from X.polyphemus

and

X. Agassizii relate to the size

and

shape ofthe head

and

jaws, the size and shapeof thelegs,

and

to the height of the shell. In A'. poVypliemus the length of the carapace is

more

than twice the height of the shell, while in X. Berlandieri the length of the former is considerablyless than twice the height of the latter. In tlieformerspecies the forelegs arelargest at the exti-eniity, whileinthelattertheyare largest atthe knees. InA',polypliemusagain the cutting edge of the lower

jaw

is nearly straight, while in A.Ber- landieri it is very considerably arched, giving the

mouth

a hmclc's hill api^earance.

Many

otherminor differences exist inthe arrangement of scales on thelegs, and thelike.

Size.

— Of

the three species, A. Berlandieri is the smallest.

The

adults of A. polyphemus

and

A'. Agassiziiare of aboutequal size.

The

following table gives the actual measurementsof greatestlength

and

breadthof sixadultspecimens

:

Species.

444 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL

and

the presence of apitinplace of a ridgeinthe horizontal alveolar surface of the upperjaw, atthe symphysis.

Fossil species.

—

^{In1878, Professor}

^Cope

^placed

^two

^{fossil tortoises}

from

Kansas

in the genus ^Xerobates, under the

names

X. orthopygius

and

X.cyclopygius.

The

skullof the latter species, however,

was

not found, and, the author states, "_{it is} not certain thatitbelongs tothe genusXerobates^* X. ortJiopygius,ifI understandthedescriptioncor- rectly, is anaberrant formas far as regards ^{its shell,}

and may

belong toasubgenus.

As

I have

no

fragments of these animals at

command

Icannot speakwith confidenceregardingeither of them.

II.

HABITS AND CAPTUEE.

Habits of the gopher. —

^Eegardingthe habits of the gophercon- siderable has beenwritten

by

Holbrook, Bartram, Louis Agassiz, Say,

and

other observers

and

writers oflessnote. Theseallagree thatitis

an animal of docile nature, preferring situations of theutmost dryness

and

revelinginan

abundance

of sunshine

and

warmth. Ithasaninnate repugnanceto rain

and

all moisture,

and

attheapproachof winter^re- treats to the depths of its burrow

and

becomes dormant. Its native

home

is in the sandy pine barrens of the South; far from

them

^{it is} never found.

The

habit of digging pits or dens in the earth seems to be peculiar tothisgenus oftortoises; Ihave been unable to findproof ofanysimi- lar proclivity existing

among

tortoisesofalliedgenera inhabitingother countries.

"The

domicile of the Gopher," observes Dr. Savage, "con- sists ofanexcavation of a sizeat the

mouth

justsufficientto admitthe animal,

and

runsin an obliquedirection tothedepthofaboutfourfeet.

From

the entrance it enlarges

and

expandsto a considerable extent, resembling in its interior outline a vessel of globular shape. Being concealed, ^itis sometimesadangerouscavityto horsemenatfull speed.

Itis inhabited

by

but onepair."t

The

remarksofEev.0. F.Knight, onthe habits ofthis species,

made

before the Boston Society of Natural History,

June

15, 1870,disagree

somewhat

with thisaccount.

He

^{states tliat thegalleryleadingto the}

burrow

is often sixteen feetlong,sinking to a depth oftwelvefeet,

and

that the latter consists of several chambers.

At

^the

mouth

of the

burrow

thereis always a

mound

or hillockof considerable size,formed

by

the earthwhichthe animalcastsbehind

him

in excavating.

Forbes statesthat gophersare sometimesforced to sharetheirquar- ters with a brood of rattlesnakes, these welcome lodgers intruding themselves here as they dointo the

homes

of the prairie dog. Eev.

Mr. Knight,ⁱⁿthecommunicationjustreferredto,affirms that,

"on

one

*Cope,BulhU.S. G.

&

G. Survey,iv, 1878,pp. ^393-395.

tDr.Th.SavageinLouisAgassiz'sCont.Nat.Hist.U.S.,i,1857, p. 447.

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 445

occasion,apair ofopossums,a raccoon, a rattlesnakemorethansix feet long,

and

twootlier snakes, besides severalof the native black ratsof the district(Florida) were taken from oneoftheseholes."*

The

gopher isentirelygraminivorous, feeding

upon

various succulent vegetables

and

grass. It does not distinguish betweenwild and cul- tivatedplants,

and

oftencauses

much

annoyancetojdantersintheSiputh

by

devouringgreatquantitiesofthe sweet-potato vine

and

othergarden vegetables. It is also fond of the

gum

which exudes from the pine tree. It has been generallysupposed that the gopher wanders from

its den in search of food only at night, but the animals which Hol- brook kept in confinement i)artook of food at all hoursof the dayin- differently.

There isneedof

more

extended information regarding the breeding habits of gopher.

The

^{account of} Dr. Savage, which, so far as I

am

aware, contains all that has been published on the subject, is notde- rived from personal observation, and is incomplete in

some

details.

From him we

learn,however,that theeggsarenot depositedinthe

burrow

itself, butat

some

pointnear the mouth. ^"

The

habitof the animalin oviposition,itis said,isto

draw

acircleontheground aboutfour inches in diameter,

and

to excavatewithin this to adepth of about the

same number

of inches, expandingas itproceeds,ina

manner

similar tothat adopted in

making

itsdomicile. Inthis aredeposited five whiteeggs, ofaroundform.

The number

being complete, thecavity is filled with earth

and

pressed

down

smoothly,

and

to alevel with the surface,

by

the weightof the animal.

The

time in hatching is said to be between three

and

four weeks.

The month

in which they layisJune."t

The

age attained

by

Xerohates polypheimis is a matter of

some

dis- pute.

Some

herpetolpgists hold that the luimber of concentric strife

onthe dorsal scalesofatortoise form areliableindextothe

number

of years ofits life, one ring being formed annually.

But

forthespecies underconsideration, atleast, I

am

convincedthatlittle isto belearned from anexaminationofthesestride. Specimens, apparentlyofadvanced age,are frequent in which long attritionwith a sandysoilhas effaced alltracesof striationfrom the shell. Furthermore, I conceive thatif

the growth of the layers of the scales is connected with thephenom- enon of hibernation,

owing

to the varying mildness of southern win- ters, twoor

more

laj'ers might be formedina single year.

As

the alligator snapper (71/. lacertina) isthe strongest of

American

tortoises, as regardsits jaws, sothe gopher, as regardsitslegs. That

itwill walk aboutwith a

man

standinguj^onits back isafact toocom-

monly

observed to admitofdoubt.

Le

Contewritesthat^itcansupport a

maximum

weight of 600 pounds; but this statement is not derived fromhis

own

observation.

The

ordinary

mode

of capturing the gopheris todig a pit atthe en-

*Proc.BostonSoc.Nat. Hist., xiv, 1872, p.16.

tTh. Savage,loc. cit.

trance of theburrow, into which the animal will fall

when

emerging from the latter in search offood. Wailes, however,in his reporton the resources of Mississippi,givesan account of another method,which

was

related tohim, but which it would seem

must

be taken

cum

grano

solo.

He

writes:

"A common

box terrapin is used for the purpose, beiag driven into the gopher's hole, fromwhich heis speedily driven out; but, inthe eagerness ofpursuit,thegopher.frequentlyfollows him so far above ground as to becutoff fromhis retreat

and

captured

by

the waitinghunter."*

Habits of

Agassiz's

and Berlandier's

tortoises.

—

^Regarding

the habits ofAgassiz's

and

Berlandier's tortoises,but little has been recorded.

The

following notes

by

^{Mr. E. T.}

Cox

are of recent date

and

point to a similarity of habits, except in the last particulars, between the eastern

and

western gophers. Speaking of Xerobates Agassizii, he says:

"He

is a vegetarian, feeding, as I

am

told, on cacti. Hisfleshis

highlyesteemed as food

by

the Indians

and

Mexicans.

You

will per- ceivethathis mandibles are notched oi*toothed. Hislegs arecovered with

bony

scales,

and

his front toe nails are

made

long

and

strong for digging

amongst

the rocks, while the hind feet are round like

an

elephant's. * * *

"In

preparing the specimen, Ifound on each side,between theflesh

and

carapax,alarge

membranous

sackfilledwithclearwater; Ijudged that about apintrun out, though the animal

had

been

some

days in cai)tivityand without water before

coming

into

my

possession.t

Here

then is thesecret of his livingin such a dry region; hecarrieshissup- ply ofwaterin

two

tanks.

The

thirsty traveler, falling in with oneof thesetortoises and awareofthis fact, need have no fearofdyingofim- mediate

want

of water."!

IconsideritdoubtfulwhetherBerlandier's tortoisedigs burrows.

The

formof thelegsis such that excavation

by

their aid would be avery tedious process. I have been unable to findany notesrelating toits habits, save the single sentence in Berlandier's manuscript:

"EUe

est herbivore."

Its eggs,unlike those of the other species,are elliptical.

III.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTIOK

It is

somewhat

^{difficult at}the j)resent timeto

work

out withexact- itude the geographical distributionof the threeIl^orth

American

Xero- bates, owing to a "plentiful lack" of citations of the exact localities inwhich specimens have been found. In a generalway, however,little difficulty is encountered.

Distribution of the Gopher. — ^The

^National

^Museum

^{has speci-}

mens

ofX. polyphcmus fromSaintSimon's Island, Ga. (7551); Nashville,

*Wailes,GeologyofMississippi.

tRegaidiugthismatterImayhavesomewhattosayatalater date.

—

F.W.T.

tAmer.Nat.,xv,1881,p. 1003.

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

44*7 Ga.; Clear Water, Fla. (1G057); Homossasa, Fla. (10009-70); Gaines-

ville, Fla. _(10471),

and

BroYrnsville,Tex. (8926), together with others labeled Bast Florida (7554-55-57). Ihave a

memoranduui

in

my

j3os- session statingthat Mr. G.

Brown Goode

shipped 19 specimensof this animal,collected inthevicinityofArlington,Fla.,tothe zoological gar- densin Philadelphia. Bartram found traces of

them

south of the Sa-

vannah

Eiver, inGeorgia

and

Florida. Holbrook states that they are

numerous

inEdgefield

and

Barnwelldistricts (S.C),

whence

theyextend through Georgia,

Alabama, and

theFloridas,

and

that, "Accordingto

Le

Sueur, they arebroughtto the

Xew

Orleans market, though proba- bly not from the immediate neighborhood."* Wailes

knew

of their existence inthe southernpart of Mississippi.

From

these data itwould appear thatXerobatespolypJwmus inhabits allthe drierportions ofthe Austroriparianregion,from Southern South Carolinato the Kio

Grande

del Norte, withthe exception,perhaps, of SouthernFlorida. Furthermore,

Gray was

informedofitsintroduction into Cuba,where, accordingto Mr.

W.

S.

MacLean,

it "_lives in domes-

tication."!

Distribution of

Agassiz's Tortoise.

— ^Of

^{the species Xerobates}

Agassiziithe U. S. National

Museum

has specimens from FortMohave, Ariz. (671S); Dr. Cooper's typesfromtheSoladoValley,Cal.(7888),

and

from Fort

Yuma,

Cal. (10398-99, 10412).

The

distribution of this tortoise, therefore,

must

be limited for the presenttothe southern,sandydesertportionsof California

and

Arizona.

Distribution of Berlandier's

Tortoise.

—

TesUido Berlandieri

was

described

by

Agassizfrom specimens from NorthernMexico. Ber- landier writes: "Itinhabits the i^lains of Tamaulipas between Mata- moras

and San Fernando

de las Presas.

At

Laredo, on thebanksof the Rio Bravo,this tortoise forms an important articleof diet forthe soldiersofthe presidios

when

crossing the deserts." Cope, as

we

have seen,

knew

of specimens from

San

Antonio,Tex.,and ofthe occurrence of the animalin the southwestern part of that Stategenerally.

Its distribution, therefore, would

seem

to be limited to the lower regions ofTexas andnortheasternMexico,betweenthetwenty-fifth

and

thirtiethparallels.

lY.

SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES.

Terrestrial; horizontal alveolar surface of the upper

jaw

with

two

ridges; an interval at the symphysis, occupied

by

a transverseridge;

a notch inthe lower

jaw

fitting over the transverse ridge. Anterior extremities

more

or less comj)ressed inthe antero-posteriordirection

;

posterior extremities clavate; nails 5:4 Xerobates.

*Holbrook, N. A. Herp.,1sted., i, 1836, p.^44.

tAan.and Mag. Nat. History, 1stseries, v, 1840, p. 115.

448 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

*Shell

more

tliautwice as longashigh; head rounded infront; margin ofjawsstraight; fore-legs broadestatthe extremity.

Anteriorpart of the plastron bent upward. Distance frombase of 1stclaw^ to base of 4th claw, hind foot, equal to distancefrom baseof 1stclaw tobase of3dclaw, forefoot X.polyphemus.

Plastron level in the anteroposterior direction. Distance from baseof 1stclaw tobaseof 4th claw, hindfoot, equaltodistance from baseof1st clawtobase of 4thclaw, fore foot..X. Agassizii.

**Shell lessthan twice as long as high;

head

wedge-shaped infront;

marginofjawscurved; fore-legsbroadestatthe knee. .X.Berlandieri.

BIBLIOGRAPHY. ^*

1734-1765. Seba, Albert. Locupletissimi rerum naturalmm thesauri acciirata de- scriptioet icouibus artiticiosissimus expressio, per iiniversam physices^his- toriam. Amsterdam, 1734-1765, I, pi. 80, fig. 1. (Testudoterrestrismajor americana.)

1791. Bartram, William. Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, EastandWestFlorida. Philadelphia, 1791(London,1794),pp.182,183. 8°.

(Gopher.)

1803. Daudin, F. M. ^Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles, II,1803(An X), pp. ^256-259.

Paris. 8°. (Testudopolyphemus.)

1803. Bosc. Nouvelle Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle,XXII,1803, p. 256. Paris.

8°. (Testudopolyphemus.)

1812. ScHWEiGGER, A. F. Prodrouius Monographiaj Cheloniorum. Konigberger Archiv, I, 1812,pp. 317and442. (Emyspolyphemus.

1821. Forbes, J. G. Sketches, historical and topogi-aphical,of the Floridas_; par- ticularlyofEastFlorida, 1821,p. 172. 8°.

New

York. (GoulTre.)

1825. S.\Y, Thos. Journal Acad. Nat. Sci.Philadelphia,IV,pt. ii,1825,pp.^207-208.

(Testudo polyphemus.)

1829. Harlan, R. Journal Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia,VI, pt.i, 1829,pp. 21-22.

(Testudopolyphemus.)

1830. Bonaparte, C. L. OsservazionisuUa SecondaEdizionedelRegnoAnimalsdel BaroneCuvier, 1830, p. 1.52. Bologna, ^8°. (Testudopolyphemus.)

1831. Gray, J. E. Synopsis Reptilium,pt. i, 1831,p. 11. London. ^{8'^.} (Testudo polyphemus.)

18.35. Dumeril, a.M.C.

&

Bibron,G. Erp^tologie G^n^rale, II, 1835, pp. 102-108.

(Testudopolyphemus.)

1828-1836. LeConte, John. AnnalsLyceumNat.Hist.,

New

York, III, 1828-1836, pp. 97-100. (TestudoCarolina.)

1836. HoLBROOK,J. E. North AmericanHerpetology,Isted., I,1836, pp. 41-46,pi.

I. Philadelphia. 4'^. (Testudo polyphemus.)

1842. ^, . 2dedition,I, 1842, pp. 25-30,pi.i. Philadelphia. 4°.

1844. Gray, J.E. Catalogue ofTortoises, Crocodiles, and Amphisbeansinthecol- lection ofthe British Museum, 1844, pp. ^{4, 5.} Loudon. 12°. (Gopher or Mungofa.

1850. Chateaubriand, LeVicomtede. Voyageen Am^rique. Edition of 1850,pp.

336,337. Paris. 12°. [Alsoin earlier editions.]

1851. DuMliRiL, M.C.

&

^{M. A.} Museum d'Hist. Nat. de Paris. CatalogueM^th- odiquede la Collection des Reptiles, 1851, p. 5. Paris. 8°. (Tortue poly- pheme.)

1855. Gray,J. E. Catalogueof Shield ReptilesintheCollectionof the BritishMu- seum, PartI, 185.5,p. 5. London. 4°. (Testudo gopher.)

PEOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 449

1857. Agassiz, Louis. Contributioustotho Natural History oftlieUnitedStates of America,1,1857,pp.446, 447. (XerobatesCarolina,X.Berlandieri.) Pliilailel- l)liia. 4°.

1859. Baird,SpencerF. U. S. and MexicanBoundarySurvey,Eeptiles, 1859, p.4.

Washington. 4°. (Xerobates Berlandieri.)

1863, Cooper, J. G. Proceedings California Acad. Sci., II, 1863, pp. 120-121.

(XerobatesAgassizii.)

1865. Strauch,a. M^moircs de I'Acad. Imp. Sci., St.Petersburg,series vii,VIII,

18(55, article_13, pp.28,29. (Testudopolyphemus.)

1868. Cronise,T. F. The Natural Wealtli of California, 1868, p. 480. San Fran-

cisco. 4 ^". (XerobatesAgassizii.)

1870. Gray,J.E. Supplementtothe CatalogueofShield Reptilesinthe Collection oftheBritishMuseum. PartI,1870,p. 4. London. 4°. (Testudo gopher.) 1872. Knight, C. F. ProceedingsBoston SocietyNatural History,1873,p. 16. (Tes-

tudo polyphemus.)

1873. Cooper, J.G. Proceedings California Acad. Sci., IV, 1873,p. 67. (Xerobates Agassizii.)

1873. Gray, J. E. On the Skulls andAlveolar Surfaces ofLaudTortoises. Proc.

Zool. Soc.London,Nov. 4, 1873,p. 723. (Xerobates gopher.

)

1875. Cope, E. D. Check-listNorth American Batrachia and Reptilia, 1875, p. 54.

8°. Washington. (TestudoCarolina, TestudoAgassizii.)

1880. Cope, E. D. Bulletin U. S. National Museum,No. 17, 1880,p. 13. (Testudo Berlandieri.

)

1881. Cox,E. T. AmericanNaturalist,XV, 1881, 1003.

U. S.

National Museum,

Washington, January 27, 1882.

CATAI.OGUE OF A

C01.IiECTI0N

OF JAPANESE COTTOIV FIBER PBK.SEIVTED TO

TEIE

UiMTEO

.STATE!^ IVATIONAI. IflUSElTPH

BV THE GOVERIVMEJVT OF

JAPAIV,

TOGETMEB

^VSTBI

TME

AitlOUJVT

OF

TBIE AiVNttJAI. €ltOP

OF

JAPAIV AIVO

THE PRICE OF COTTON.*

[PreparedbytheJapaneseLegation.]

No. 1. Cotton produced

by

—

Konishi Shojiro,

Awadouo

mura, Soyekami-gori, Yamato,

Osaka

-Fu.

Annual

crop, about 225 kiu

=

298.14075pounds.

Market

price, 7.1 sen per1 kiu

=

1.32507 pounds.

*NOTE TO THE CATALOGUE OF THE COLLECTION OF COTTON.

—

Of the SutBxeS tO thewordssignifyingthelocalitiesof producers,^''niura^"meansvillageand" gori "town- ship,andintbe catalogue^ismentionednexttothetownshipthenameof ageograph- ical division orprovince, and thenfollows apoliticaldivision.

Note to the account of cotton husbandry.

—

^{The district of Kinai, strictly}

speaking, comprises the provinces of Yamashiro, Yamato, Kawaehi, Idsiinii, and Settsu, butin the sense used in the account that district mayalsocomprisesome other neighboring provinces. Thedistrictof Kantocomprises the province ofMu-

sashiandotherseven.adjacentprovinces. ThedistrictofChiugokuconsistsofallthe provinces lyingsouth of those ofHarimaandTambaand northofNagatoand Suwo.

The district of Kiushiu is the wholeof the island ofthat name. The ^district of T6-okucom^irisesthe northeastern part of the province of O-shiu, whichisnowdi- videdinto five provinces. Andthedistrictof Hokurokuincludesseven provinces

—

Wakasa,Techizen,Kaga,Noto, Tetchin, Techigo, andSado.

Proc. i^at. Mus. 81 29

May 13, 1889.