538 Home Nature-Study Course. 



11. Note the nose and nostrils. 



12. Describe the moath. 



13. Are there any teeth? 



14. Describe the movement of the throat when breathing. 



15. What is the shape of the leg? How is it marked? 



16. How many and what kind of class on tlie front feet? 



17. Are the front feet webbed? If so what for? 



18. Describe the tail. 



19. What becomes of it when the turtle withdraws in its shell ? 



20. How much of the body can you see and how is it colored? 



21. What are the turtle's enemies? 



22. How do they escape from them? 



23. Do all turtles live in water? 



24. Upon what do turtles feed ? 



25. How do turtle's eggs look? 



26. Where are they laid? 



Facts for the teacher. — In the scientific books the upper shell of the turtle is 

 called the Carapace and the lower one the Plastron. If you can teach the pupils 

 these names incidentally it will help them in their reading. There is much differ- 

 ence in the different species of turtles in the shape of the upper shell and the size 

 and shape of the lower shell. In most species the Carapace is half-globular, in 

 some it is quite flat. The upper shell is grown fast to the backbone of the animal 

 and the lower shell to the breast-bone. The markings and color of the shells offer 

 excellent subjects for drawing. The turtle has no eyelids like our own, but it has 

 a nictitating membrane, which comes up from below and completely covers the eye. 

 If you seize the turtle by the head and attempt to touch its eyes, you will see the 

 use of this eyelid. When the turtle winks it seems to turn the eyeball down against 

 the lower lid. The sense of smell in turtles is not well developed, as may be 

 guessed by the very small nostrils, mere "pin holes." The turtle's mouth is a more 

 or less hooked beak and is not armed with teeth but with cutting edges. The 

 movement in the throat is caused by the turtle swallowing air or breathing. The 

 color of the shell and turtle itself differs with different species ; (the common 

 painted turtle is the most interesting to study, for it is beautifully mottled and 

 spotted with red and yellow). The legs are so large and soft that they do not 

 seem to have any bones inside ; however, the skeleton shows that the boneS' are 

 there. The claws are long and strong; there are five claws on the front feet and 

 four on the hind feet. Some species have the web between tlie toes much more 

 developed than do others, depending upon whether most of the life is lived in the 

 water or out of it. The enemies of turtles are the larger fishes and other turtles. 

 Two turtles should never be kept in the same aquarium, or they will eat each 

 others legs and tails off with great relish. The children should be made especially 

 interested in the wonderful growth of shell for the protection of the turtle. In 

 the case of the box turtle this is complete, and in the case of the others is suffi- 

 cient to protect them from most of their enemies. Turtles feed upon insects, small 

 fish, or almost anything soft-bodied that they can catch in the water ; they are 

 especially fond of earth worms. The species which frequent the land feed upon 

 tender vegetation and also berries. In the aquarium a turtle should be fed earth 

 worms, chopped fresh beef, lettuce leaves and berries. The aquarium should 



