64 Journal of the Mitchell Society \Srptrinhrr 



Only one species of snapping turtle occurs in our State, and this 

 usually goes simplj- by the name of "turtle," all our other species being 

 known as terrapins in this State. The snapper is the largest and the 

 ugliest of our species reaching a weight of 25 pounds, and is also the 

 one most frequently locally eaten, being in fact quite palatable. It 

 is a voracious and vicious reptile, wholly carnivorous, and capable of 

 inflicting a painful wound if carelessly handled. Its eggs are white, 

 soft-shelled and spherical. 



The second family includes two of our species, which much re- 

 semble the snapping turtles in habits, but differ in the broad plastron 

 and smaller size, neither reaching a length of more than about four 

 inches in the shell. The mud turtle has the head unstriped, and the 

 plastron nearly as large as the shell opening, wiiile the musk turtle has 

 the head with yellow stripes and the plastron considerably smaller 

 than the shell opening. The latter is more of a deep water animal, 

 the former more of a shallow water form, preferring to hunt for its 

 prey with its shell half in, half out of the water. The eggs are 

 elongated, hard-shelled and white. 



The balance of our turtles belong to the Testudinidae and all ex- 

 cept one are aquatic and have wholly tixed plastrons. 



The exception is the Box Turtle, commonly called Highland Terra- 

 pin in this State, which is mainly an inhabitant of damp woods, though 

 I have found specimens buried in the wet mud of a swamp in a 

 place where in a wet season they would have been fifty yards from 

 shore. The short high arched shell and the moveable plastron which 

 closes the shell completely when the animal has withdrawn its head 

 and limbs within, distinguishes this from all our other species. Its 

 food consists of fruit, succulent leaves of plants, and living or dead 

 animals of any kind it can capture. 



The remainder of our species differ but little in habits, all being 

 acpiatic inhabitants of pools and streams seldom leaving the water 

 except to deposit their eggs, which are elongate and soft-shelled. 



Roughly speaking, they divide into two groups, the smaller pond 

 turtles with a smooth shell without variegated markings, and the 

 larger terrapins, collectively often known as river terrapins, yellow- 

 bellies, sliders or cooters, which have the shell almost invariably wrin- 

 kled or keeled or both. The former rarely attain a length of over 

 five inches, the latter are from eight inches to a foot or more long 

 when adult. 



