THE REPTILES OF OHIO 257 



Thomas and Trautman (1937) of finding approximately 450 specimens near 

 Buckeye Lake lias already been mentioned (page 123). Wood has furnished 

 information on another large aggregation of Sternotheruf:. He states, "I exam- 

 ined 75 specimens collected by H. J. Walter from Eastwood Pond, east of 

 Dayton, that were obtained in the spring of 1942 during a period of unusually 

 dry weather, when the water level in the ponds fell to only a few inches and 

 'noodling' was very successful." 



New Ohio records for Sternotherus are: 



Allen Counts': Diller's Quarry. 21/2 mi. WNW of Bluff ton (OSM 747). 

 Athens County: Margaret's Creek (OUVC 116). Auglaize County: Forty-acre 

 Pond, 3 mi. N of St. Marys (UMMZ 98023). BuTLER Counts-: Fairfield Twp. 

 (OSM 666.1-2). Clark CouNri": Crystal Lake (WED 368). Fayette County: 

 North Fork, Paint Creek, Marion Twp. (SL 573) ; Pamt Creek at state route #70, 

 Union Twp. (OSM 735); Washington Court House (WED 163). Iackson Coun- 

 TY: Black Fork Creek, Jefferson Twp. (OUVC 119); Jackson (OUVC 1381). 

 Madison Counts-: lefferson Twp. (OSM 765). Montgomery County: Dayton 

 (DPLM 316-7.44, 375.44. 787.44, 840-51.44, 853.44, 856-68.44, 875.44, 880-87.44; 

 WED 162); Southeast of Dayton (DPLM 316-7.44); Englewood Dam, Randolph 

 Twp. (Wood & Duellman, 1947b). Stark CoUNTi': Myer's Lake, '/? mi. W of 

 Canton (OUVC 2391). Summit Counts': Hower Lake, Coventry Twp. (OSM 

 733). Vinton County: Lake Alma (OUVC 126, 128-9). 



The large majority of the specimens reported above and on pages 121 and 

 122 were taken by hand or by dip-net, when the turtles were basking or prowl- 

 ing in shallow water, or when the females were ashore during the nesting 

 season. Since Sternotherus odoratus is so markedly aquatic, the few indi- 

 viduals thus obtained are scarcely indicative of the actual abundance of the 

 species. Extensive trapping in the ponds and streams of Ohio probably would 

 prove that the musk turtle is one of the most common reptiles in the state. 

 On several recent occasions, while trapping in New Jersey and Delaware and 

 using the technique outlined bv Lagler (1943b), I have caught more musk 

 turtles in a single twenty-four hour period than I collected in six years of 

 tramping about in the Buckeye State. The Ohio laws stioulat? that no traps 

 with meshes less than four inches in diameter may be used; such traps permit 

 .•^mall turtles, including all specimens of Sterjiotherus, to escape. I tried 

 repeatedly to obtain a special pennit to use a small-meshed net while I lived 

 ill Ohio, but the laws at that time made no provision for scientific collecting. 

 Fortunately this rituation recently has been remedied bv an act of the General 

 Assembly (approved May 17, 1947) that provides for the issuance of permit; 

 to properly accredited persons. 



It is quite possible that a systematic trapping campaign would result in 

 adding the m^ud turtle, Kinosternon uihrubrum subrubrum, to the fauna of 

 Ohio.^ 



Lagler (1941) has presented data on a number of fall matings which he 

 observed in Michigan. This substantiates Risley's supposition that copulation 

 might take place during the autumn months (see page 123) as well as in 

 spring. 



