THE REPTILES OF OHIO 153 



to have established itself anywhere in the state as the result of such accidental 

 introductions. The two localities listed above are believed to be within the 

 natural range of P. s. troostii. 



Habitat and Habits. — Since so few specimens of the Cumberland terrapin 

 were collected in the state, notes on habitats and habits are also few. Both 

 Ohio localities, however, are old ox-bows of the Scioto River and it may be 

 that this type of habitat is most favorable to this species within the state. 

 The first specimen was taken in the Pickaway County locality August 10, 

 1929, by Dr. Chas. F. Walker and the late James S. Hine, of the Ohio 

 State Museum, and Milton B. Trautman, then of the Ohio Division of Con- 

 servation, while seining for fish. Another specimen was secured from a resi- 

 dent at the same place in May, 1930 (Walker, 1931, 12). 



During the course of the many field trips of the present survey each of 

 the ox-bows of the Scioto River was carefully searched at least once as was 

 also the entire length of the abandoned Ohio and Erie Canal paralleling the 

 river. On May 5, 1934, in the Ross County locality, which had been worked 

 several times before, but with no success, no less than 11 specimens of the 

 Cumberland terrapin were collected. The ox-bow at this point, normally 

 several hundred yards long and several feet in depth, had shrunk as a result 

 of the winter drought of 1933-34 to a few small puddles. In and near these 

 the specimens were found, but only one, an adult male, was alive. The others 

 had been dead for varying periods of time, some doubtless for just a few 

 hours. The shells of three large adult females were in sufficiently good con- 

 dition to preserve, but the smaller ones, including two juveniles about 2 inches 

 in length, were badly decomposed. It was presumed that the combination of 

 an unusually cold winter and lack of water (and hence food) was responsible 

 for the decimation of the colony. The live male was found buried about three 

 inches deep in dried mud near one of the remaining puddles. 



Observations made by the writer on several hundred specimens at Reel- 

 foot Lake in Tennessee indicate that this turtle is more at home in deep water 

 than the painted turtle (represented by Chrysemys picta dorsalis (Agassiz) 

 in this locality) and less so than the map turtle (represented by Graptemys 

 pseudogeographica psendogeographtca (Gray) . Specimens were caught in the 

 coves and ditches and in the open lake (Reelfoot), but juveniles were seen 

 only in vegetation or in mud in shallow water. In early spring young and old 

 alike frequented the shallow water near shore which was more readily warmed 

 by the sun. 



Captives fed upon meat, fish, crayfish, earthworms, carrion, lettuce, spinach, 

 beet tops and a variety of other greens. 



Courtship behavior was observed in the zoo pools a number of times. 

 Males would swim toward a female from any angle and then turn to face 

 her and extend the forelegs directly toward her head. From this position the 

 long claws were vibrated rapidly several times while the male swam with his 

 hind legs in such a way as to keep himself directly facing the female. The 

 actual vibrating lasted only a second or so but the process was repeated con- 



