156 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



Brown County: Mouth of White Oak Creek, Higginsport (OSM 272). Mus- 

 kingum County: Near Gaysport (OSM 142). Pike County: Scioto River, Camp 

 Creek Twp. (OSM 353.1 -.5; TZS 509); Scioto River, Newton Twp. (TZS 1688); 

 Scioto River, Scioto Twp. (OSM 274.1 -.3). SciOTO CoUNTY: Scioto River, Clay 

 Twp. (OSM 252.2); Scioto River, Portsmouth (TZS 1573); Scioto River, 3 mi. N 

 of Rushtown (TZS 1088). Washington County: Dam No. 2, Muskingum River, 

 northern edge of Marietta (OSM 253.1); Ohio River, 4 mi. SE of Marietta (MC). 



Habitat and Habits. — The majority of Ohio specimens of the brown soft- 

 shelled turtle were taken in seines by the Ohio Division of Conservation in- 

 cidental to the making of fish collections. The few which were collected by 

 hand were either at rest on the bottom in shallow water, or were buried in 

 sand or gravel bars in a few inches of water near the shore. Like the spiny 

 soft-shelled turtle they appear to hide themselves in such places, and only the 

 head shows as they wait for prey to pass. In no case were they found buried 

 in water deeper than the length of their necks; these they stretched upward 

 for air until the nostrils protruded above the surface. 



Too few were seen to determine whether they bask in the sun as the spiny 

 soft- shelled turtles occasionally do. Specimens can swim well and can run 

 upon land with surprising rapidity. 



In the lower portion of the Scioto River it appears that the present species 

 is abundant while spmijera is almost entirely absent. The two species were 

 taken at the same time in the same net, but the comparatively few observa- 

 tions indicate that where one is common the other is rare. Map turtles were 

 also obtained in association with specimens of the present species. 



Captives ate meat, fish, crayfish, earthworms and insects. 



MuIIer (1921) records observations on the nesting habits of this species 

 as seen on an island in the Mississippi River near Fairfield, Iowa. He writes: 



In this locality the egg laymg season covers the last half of June and the early part 

 of July. In buildmg her nest, the female selects a sp>ot with an unobstructed view of 

 the open water, and from ten to sixty feet inland. Here she scoops out a hole in the 

 sand, about five inches in diameter, and ten inches deep, using her forepaws in the 

 operation, and piling up the loose sand around the hole. The necessary conditions for 

 incubation are sufficient dampness so that the sand will just cling together, and absence 

 of clayey or earthy matter which might cause the sand to pack and thus prevent the 

 escape of the young. Often in her search of proper conditions the female will dig 

 three or four holes before laying her eggs. A suitable nest being dug, the turtle 

 assumes a position with her hind feet down the hole, and dropping her eggs into her 

 hind paws, arranges them neatly upon the floor of the nest. The hole is then filled in 

 with the sand removed from it, the hind feet being used. 



The number of eggs laid varies with the size of the turtle. Eight nests contained 

 respectively 12, 13, 4, 22, 21, 16, 26, 33 eggs. — The average annual lay of a female 

 would be around twenty-two. The finished nest appears as a small crater of sand, 

 about a foot in diameter, or, where the surface is covered with pebbles, as a circular 

 area of clear sand. The temperature of the nests is quite constant — about 90 F. 



As the embryo grows the calcareous part of the shell becomes very much cracked 

 and the shell membrane, yielding to pressure from within, stretches until the egg 

 becomes approximately 2.39 cm. in diameter. The carapace is folded down around 

 the young turtle and the arms are extended in front of the head. The forepaws are 

 thrust through the shell first in hatching, and this opening enlarged to allow egress for 



