126 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



County: Greenville Creek, l!/2 mi. SW of Covington (TZS 938). Morrow Coun- 

 ty: Congress Twp. NoBLE CouNTY: Buffalo Twp. (TZS 1261). Ottawa County: 

 Catawba Island; Erie Twp.; near Genoa; Oak Harbor; Put-in-Bay (USNM 21 125). 

 Pickaway County: Northern part of county (OSM 306); Pickaway Twp. (OSM 

 216.3). Pike County: Mifflin Twp. (TZS 575). Richland County: Black Fork, 

 Shenandoah (TZS 472). Ross County: Huntington Twp. (TZS 1132); Paint 

 Creek, Copperas Mt., Paxton Twp. (TZS 1101); Ox-bow of Scioto River at Vauces. 

 Scioto County: Rushtown; 2 mi. N of Rushtown; 2 mi. S of Rushtown (TZS 

 1823-5). Summit County: Ira (OSM 305). Union County: York Twp. (DOR). 

 Van Wert County: Town Creek, Hoaglin Twp. (TZS 584). Warren County: 

 Mason (CSNH 1044). Washington County: Marietta (MC; TZS 497). Wayne 

 County: Killbuck Creek, west of Wooster (TZS 469). Williams County: 1 mi. 

 SW of Blakesley (TZS 373); West Unity (Kirsch, 1895). Wood County: Grand 

 Rapids (Kirsch, 1895); Lime City; South Branch, Portage River (OSM 283); 

 Maumee River, opposite Watervilie. 



Habitat and Habits. — The snapping turtle is one of the most abundant 

 turtles in Ohio. It was not seen or found so frequently as the painted turtle 

 but were it addicted to basking in the sun, and hence as conspicuous as the 

 latter species, it probably would be found to equal or surpass it in numbers. 



Almost any body of water large enough to keep it wet is a potential home 

 for a snapper. Many juvenile and even medium sized individuals were found 

 in rocky rills or ditches containing hardly enough water to wet their feet and 

 plastrons. Others were completely buried in hard, caked mud in dry stream 

 beds or ponds where they doubtless would have aestivated until the advent of 

 rainy weather. The largest specimens, however, rarely were seen far from 

 rivers, lakes, or other sizable bodies of water which had at least a fair degree of 

 permanence. 



A favorite habit of the snapper is to bury itself in mud in shallow water, 

 covering all of its body save its eyes and nostrils. The depth of the water over- 

 lying the mud is often comparable with the length of the neck, for this member 

 must be thrust upward occasionally so that the nostrils may have access to the air. 



A trained collector often can find a snapper buried in such a way, merely 

 by seeing the tip of its nose and its eyes, or by watching for the slight swirl 

 of mud which appears in the water when it withdraws its head. Turtles rest- 

 ing in such places apparently lie in wait to seize any prey which may pass. 



Other favorite hiding places are beneath stumps, roots or other objects 

 which overhang the shore. Professional turtle collectors investigate such places 

 with their bare hands, with a "sang froid" which startles the novice. Feeling for 

 turtles with the hands or feet is popularly known as "noodeling" in many 

 parts of Ohio. 



The jaws of a snapping turtle are formidable weapons and are capable of 

 doing considerable damage. In the younger specimens the mandibles are 

 sharp and close fitting and make a neat, clean-cut bite, but in old ones they 

 are usually dull and frequently notched or uneven. Once the jaws close upon 

 an object it is difficult to pry them apart, hence any but very small snappers 

 must be handled with great caution. The neck can reach back so far that it 

 is unwise to grasp a specimen by the shell; the best method of carrying one is 



