. Natural history. Zoology. SCALED REPTILES. jg^. of a longitudinal ridge on the palatal surface of the fore part of the lower jaw. Nearly allied to Iriomjx are the general Feiochelys and Ghitr,,. each represented by a single species from the Oriental countries. In the forinur— which extends from India to the Malayan Islands—the eyes liave a more for- ward position than in the type genus, this feature being still more marked m the gigantic Indian Chitra, where they are situated close up to the snout the whole skull being very long ' and narrow. The foregoing genera constitute a sub-family by t
. Natural history. Zoology. SCALED REPTILES. jg^. of a longitudinal ridge on the palatal surface of the fore part of the lower jaw. Nearly allied to Iriomjx are the general Feiochelys and Ghitr,,. each represented by a single species from the Oriental countries. In the forinur— which extends from India to the Malayan Islands—the eyes liave a more for- ward position than in the type genus, this feature being still more marked m the gigantic Indian Chitra, where they are situated close up to the snout the whole skull being very long ' and narrow. The foregoing genera constitute a sub-family by themselves ; and a second group of equivalent value is formed by the other three genera. The two essential characteristics of the second group are to be found in the presence of a skinny flap be- neath the under shell—behind which the hind-foot can be Fig-10.—A Son- withdrawn—and the complete union of the hyoplastral and hypojilastral elements of the lower shell. Exter- nally the shell is distinguished by the [)ustular form of the sculpture. Of the three types of the sub-family, the Indian Emyda is specially distinguished by possessing a series of marginal bones round the hinder portion of the carapace. There are but three species, and in the largest of these the shell does not grow to more than about ten inches in length. Of the two African genera, the one known as Cycloderma has a complete scries of neural bones running down the middle of the carapace ; whereas, in the nearly related Oyclanorbis the series is incomplete, so that some of the costal bones of opposite sides come into contact with one another in the middle line. It may be added that in the absence of any connection between the bones of the pelvis and the lower shell, as well as in the mode of articulation between the upper and lower jaws, and the notch in the ring round the aperture of the ear, the soft-tortoises resemble the Cryptodira. In certain forms and certain structural features of the
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