TURTLES. 



449 



]ieai-anpc.s cnjdyiiin' 1 lie sun tn its full l>ciK-fit. They are, comparativelj- speaking, active 

 climbers, ami may not iMticcjucntly \tv s(<ii jkixIumI in situations which would seem 

 to be unattainalilc by civaturis prcsenling so few adajitalions other than natatory. 

 They are timid, howevi-r, an<l quiekly retire to the water on being disturbed. Their 

 voracity often leads to an untimely death at the hands of the indignant angler, whom 

 they bother to no little extent by seizing his finely prepared tackle. The ordinary food 

 consists of the succulent stems of various water plants, as well as such unfortunate 

 tadpoles, earth-worms, .>r lar\.il insects as may fall in its way. Though it begins hi- 

 bernation early in the fall, but a few warm days in spring are necessary to awake it 

 from its lethargy, when its shrill pijHng note is heard, often at night making the low- 

 lands ring. The eggs are de])osited .at evening in a shallow hollow scraped out of the 

 soft sand of some neighboring bank, and carefully covered, where, unless found by some 

 marauding skunk, they are hatched by the sun's heat. This is our most beautiful turtle, 

 its bright colors distinguishing it from all other members of the order. The general 

 color above is dark brown, a yellow line dividing the vertebral plates, which are further 



i^Xli,.m, 



Fm. 2uti. — Clielopus iusculptus, wuud-tortoise. 



bordered, as well .is the costals, by bruader bauds of the same shade. The marginal 

 plates are concentrically marked with deep red, a color which fades away soon after 

 the animal dies. Below, the sternum usually presents an unspotted, uniform bright 

 yellow color, though occasionally a beautiful j)urplc obtains. In the western and more 

 central regions the Oregon turtle, C oref/onensiii, takes the jilace of the present species. 

 C7iL'luj)iis </i/tt/i/'t.s, the S[)eckled-turtle, is a familiar form north and east of the 

 Ohio. The small yellow dots covering the black back are very characteristic, and it is 

 a strange fact that they increase in number with age, the young having but a siiiLrleone 

 on each scale. Its habits are uuich like those of the painted-turtle. ('. iindcnberijii 

 is limited in its distribution to the valley of the Delaware, and i'^ uncommon. V. 

 inscnJptHS has a general distribution coinciding with that of C. ijiUtatux, though it is 

 much more local. This animal has received the popular names of horse, sculptured, 

 ri\ei', and wood-tortoise, the fust possililv being given because of the bright bav 

 color of the animal's li()<ly and limb. In certain localities it is an abundant animal, and, 

 indike other members of the familv, is not confined to the water, where it is ijreatlv 

 annoyed by a leech, dozens of which arc often found .ittaclicd to ii, \>\\\ is often met 

 vol.. III. —2!) 



