FIELD BOOK OF PONDS AND STREAMS 



turtles. Its only rivals are the spotted turtles which bask 

 with it in the sun, along the same pond banks and floating 

 logs (PL XXIII). 



Its flattened carapace is very smooth, and the plates are 

 olive brown with borders of pale yellow; these form a narrow 

 light band across the back between the first and second rows 

 of plates. The small marginal plates are red with black and 

 yellow markings, most of the color being on the underside; 

 the plastron is light yellow. There are two bright yellow 

 streaks behind each eye, and stripes of yellow which give 

 place to scarlet on the throat, legs, and tail. Its whole colora- 

 tion suggests a dark-painted vehicle with gay running gear. 



Habits, habitat. — The favorite haunts of painted turtles 

 are the partly overgrown ponds where there are large popula- 

 tions of small water animals (Fig. 21). They swim in and 

 out among the plants, displaying their scarlet rims at each 

 leisurely dip of their bodies, or they climb out of the water 

 to bask upon logs, only to slide back again at the least alarm. 

 They eat almost anything which they find under water but 

 they seem quite unable to swallow if they are out of it. By 

 examining the stomachs of painted turtles, Surface found that 

 their diet included algae, grasses, moss, insects, little mollusks, 

 and pieces of larger animals evidently eaten when half decayed. 

 In October they begin digging into the muddy pond bottoms 

 for their winter hibernation. 



Breeding habits. — They lay their elliptical eggs between 

 the middle and last of June, always in late afternoon or even- 

 ing. The turtle selects a nest site in soil not far distant from 

 water, digs a hole with her hind feet, and lays the four to 

 eight or more pinkish eggs. Without turning around she 

 pushes each one down into the hole with her hind feet, cover- 

 ing them so well that she leaves little or no trace of her work. 



Size. — Length of adult carapace about 6 to 8 inches. 



Range. — Eastern North America, northward to southern 

 Canada, southward to Georgia. West of the Alleghanies it 



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