144 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



larger streams they were by no means confined to them. They are at home 

 along the shores of Lake Erie and in such estuaries as the mouths of the rivers 

 emptying into it and in Sandusky Bay. They occur in the large ditches in the 

 extensive marshes along the lake, and along the shores of the Lake Erie islands. 

 One was taken in a small pond on South Bass Island (Put-in-Bay). They 

 are known to occur in lakes in Michigan and Indiana but none were found 

 in Ohio lakes in the course of the present study. 



Juveniles frequent shallower water than adults and consequently they were 

 collected much more often. They were taken in patches of aquatic vegeta- 

 tion growing along rivers and also in the small temporary pools left by streams 

 which overflowed their banks and then receded. One juvenile and one adult 

 male were found buried in mud in shallow water. 



Specimens were collected in every month from April to September inclu- 

 sive. They were observed walking slowly about under the ice in a pool in the 

 Toledo Zoo as late as the middle of December. Evermann and Clark (1920, 

 607) state that "the map turtle does not hibernate, but many, if not all of 

 them keep walking about on the bottom of the lake (Maxinkuckee, Indiana) 

 where they can be seen through the ice whenever it is clear. Throughout the 

 winter of 1900-1901 they could be seen any day when the ice was not covered 

 with snow." At least two specimens successfully hibernated in the Toledo Zoo 

 pool in shallow water beneath soggy leaves. 



Map turtles were several times taken in company with spiny soft-shelled 

 turtles and they were also found commonly in the same bodies of water in 

 which snappers and painted turtles were numerous. 



The food includes crayfish, fish, aquatic insects, carrion and snails. The 

 shells of the latter are crushed between the broad alveolar surfaces of the jaws. 

 Captives were seen nibbling upon such greens as lettuce, spinach and beet tops 

 on a few occasions and most of them readily accepted meat. They apparently 

 are not averse to eating organic sewage and in certain of the larger rivers 

 which are badly polluted with garbage, etc. they were found in abundance. 



Newman (1906, 140-42) has reported in some detail upon the breeding 

 habits of the map turtle. He writes: 



Graptemys begins to lay very early in June, somewhat earlier than other species 

 observed. The females are apt to wander some distance from the water for nesting, 

 seeming to prefer soft, plowed soil oi clear, dry sand away from the beaches. They 

 wander about for hours in search of a suitable place for nesting. One specimen started 

 five nests before she was satisfied with the condition of the soil. Two were rejected 

 on account of the presence of stones and one because the sand caved in too readily. 

 The other two appeared to me to be suitable in every way and I was unable to explain 

 why she abandoned them. 



If one expects to see the first stages of nest-making it behooves him to be astir 

 before sunrise. Over half of the females found nesting were encountered before 

 eight o'clock. They work slowly and seem to prefer the quiet hours of the day, 

 probably because they are less likely to be disturbed. 



Apart from the slowness and deliberateness of their movements, they work much 

 after the fashion adopted by Aspidonectes (soft-shelled turtles), except that they 

 never work the forefeet so as to secure a foothold. 



The nests are of somewhat smaller dimensions and the flask-shaped expansion is 

 more symmetrically placed, scarcely more bulged on one side than the other. Two 



