14 REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



mers, pugnacious, ever hungry and thus a terror to small 

 fishes. Much to the disgust of fresh-water fishermen, 

 they have a habit of greedily swallowing a hook and 

 when brought struggling to the surface exude such a 

 foul, musky odor that the sportsman's only thought is 

 to quickly cut the line and drop the snapping, disagree- 

 able little animal back into the water. In muddy 

 streams, from which the country lad has practically 

 exterminated the frogs, the spotted turtles and the "ter- 

 rapins," Musk Turtles may abound and yet seldom be 

 seen. Unlike the familiar, yellow-spotted turtles (Che- 

 lopus) that bask upon derelict timber, or along the 

 bank, the reptiles under consideration keep to the water 

 and either prowl along the soft bottom or hide in the 

 shadows of roots or projecting edges of the shore. A 

 dart of the powerful head means the immediate finish 

 of an unwary "pollywog," fish or insect larva. 



Genus Cinosternum ; the Mud Turtles: From the 

 species of Aromochelys the present turtles are told by 

 the broad plastron, the front and rear lobes of which 

 are so well hinged and adjusted that they close well up 

 against the upper shell, affording great protection to 

 the fleshy parts. Eleven species are recognized; six 

 are found in the United States. It is owing to their 

 habit of frequenting streams of very muddy water they 

 have received their popular name. Like the musk tur- 

 tles, they exude a strong, musky odor when first handled. 

 The Mexican and Central American species have a shell 

 six inches long. 



A widely distributed example and one common in 

 many portions of the eastern United States is the* Com- 

 mon Mud Turtle, Cinosternum pennsylvanicum, hav- 

 ing a shell four inches long when fully adult; the head 

 is about three-quarters of an inch broad. This species 



