Newman, Habits of Tortoises. 151 



she stopped work and showed signs of, preparing for a retreat, she 

 concluded the filling-in process in a somewhat slovenly manner 

 and then retreated. The filling-in process was the same as that 

 observed for Graptemys and Aspidonectes. 



The nest was in gravelly sand on the side of a railway embank- 

 ment, separating the lake from a swamp. An examination of the 

 nest revealed a broad funnel-shaped depression, about a foot in 

 diameter, at the apex of which a tunnel, about four inches in 

 diameter, led diagonally into a wider expansion of irregular shape 

 and about a foot beneath the general ground surface. The tunnel 

 was obstructed by a stout stick and was consequently turned some- 

 what to one side. In the expansion and communicating tunnel 

 were thirty-three eggs scattered irregularly in a double layer. 

 On the whole it was a decidedly untidy and primitive sort of nest. 



At about the same time of the month (June 15) several half- 

 finished nests were found in the same railway embankment and 

 all had the same general characteristics as the one described. 

 I am told by the engineers on the railroad that the females are 

 often seen at work and that they leave precipitately on the 

 approach of the early mornmg train. 



The eggs are spherical with one hemisphere white and the other 

 pinkish. The shell is very tough, so that the eggs, if thrown on 

 hard ground, will rebound several inches without breaking. The 

 eggs laid on June fifteenth hatched during the last week in August. 



Large specimens captured on land and put into aquatic enclo- 

 sures immediately buried themselves deep in the mud and were not 

 seen again until dug out with a hoe months afterward. 



One large specimen, weighing nearly fifteen pounds was tethered 

 out in a lagoon by means of a long dog-chain attached to the cara- 

 pace. It went the full length of the chain and then buried itself 

 at least a foot deep. It is difficult to do anything with beasts so 

 sullen as Chelydra. When kept in captivity on land they are 

 extremely ill-natured, snapping at and injuring one another if 

 they happen to meet. I have never observed a tendency to com- 

 bativeness in other species. 



If kept for some months even the largest specimens of Chelydra 

 accept food eagerly. 



If eggs that are near hatching are opened, the young Chelydra 

 snap in a characteristic, though somewhat feeble, manner. Snap- 

 ping with them seems to be a sort of reflex and may be more or less 



