79 



shells, ami surrounded by a group of smaller animals of their kind, squeal- 

 ins for a share, they ate the contents with evident satisfaction. 



I drove the hoijs avi^ay, but on revisiting the place a few hours later 

 I found that tlie hogs liad returned, and that they had crushed and eaten 

 the greater number of the smaller turtles, and some that were as much 

 as six inches in length. 



From these observations it would seem that the hog has been one 

 of the principal enemies of this turtle, and that in recent years, since few 

 hogs have been allowed to range the woods and fields, the box turtle has 

 been rapidly increasing in number. 



