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THE MATAMATA.
685
pen; and the upper part of the shell was furrowed and marked "with large knobs. This concise description gives a fair idea of the principal features of the tortoise which is illustrated in the cut. It is hard to tell which most attracts attention, the large, triangular, depressed head,
The Matamata (Chelys matamata).
the mouth extending behind the ears, or the doubly furrowed back with its three knobbed ridges. The head ends in a small, movable snout; the eyes are very small and set far forward; the sharp jaws are covered with a horny sheath. The neck is thick and bristles with tubercles, and from each side of it hang the ragged membranes which float in the water. The scales of the carapace are raised into promi-
