62 



The food consists of insects and spiders, which are only taken when 

 moving, and other animal food, sometimes the eggs of small ground- 

 nesting birds. The insects most commonly eaten are grasshoppers 

 and beetles. Even active forms like the tiger-beetles are captured 

 by these lizards. They are diurnal, solitary, and hide in burrows at 

 night. They are found on the Atlantic coast as far north as Mary- 

 land and Delaware, and south and west into Mexico. In Indiana 

 and Illinois they occur in the Lake Michigan sand area, and they are 

 also found at Henry and Ottawa, in dry habitats along the Illinois 

 River. 



Tcrrapcnc ornata Ag. June 28, July 3, 6, October 6. 



This is the prairie species of Tcrrapcne, and is much commoner in 

 the sand prairie than in other parts of the state. It is very long- 

 lived, hibernating each winter in a deep burrow. It is practically 

 omnivorous. It is known to eat vegetable food. One specimen when 

 first caught had part of the tegmina of a grasshopper adhering to 

 the lower mandible, and it ate grasshoppers later from the hand. 

 The movements are usually sluggish. It feigns death when too 

 roughly handled. The box-turtle is found usually in open bunch- 

 grass or blowsand. Several burrows were found along a fence in 

 sparse growths. The animal is more or less roving in habit. It is a 

 typical sand prairie species, hardly characteristic of any one of the 

 associations. Mr. Hart lists this species as Tcrrapcne Carolina, which 

 is the forest species of the genus, and which has a distinctly carinate 

 ridge along the median line of the carapace. The Havana species has 

 not been taken in the v^^oods, and seems to be perfectly at home in 

 the sand prairie. It has hardly a trace of the dorsal ridge. 



AVES 



The bird records for the summer of 19 10 are in large part rec- 

 ords of the observations of Mr. F. C. Gates, who has kindly per- 

 mitted their use. They include notes on other associations than those 

 of sand prairie (Gates, 'iia). 



The bird life of the sand prairie is scanty in comparison with 

 that of the black-soil prairie. There is an abundance of insect food, 

 particularly grasshoppers, and it is thought that severity of nesting 

 conditions is the chief factor in the exclusion of so many birds from 

 the association. Species which nest in hedges and thickets are Cjuite 

 abundant, but the true prairie species, which nest on the ground, are 

 very few. 



