148 Fish and Game Warden. [Bull. No. 1. 



turtle is the worst, and on the Hatchery grounds destroys more 

 fish than all the others combined. An examination of the 

 stomachs of Snapping turtles taken from the Hatchery ponds 

 has shown that they are greedy feeders, and that in many 

 instances a large portion of their food is made up of fish. 



Snapping turtles secrete themselves among the aquatic 

 plants and apparently watch for fish that are passing by. 

 They catch the fish by a quick stroke of the head, which their 

 long necks allow them to throw out several inches from the 

 body. We never had an opportunity of observing this opera- 

 tion until last year, when we saw a Snapping turtle catch a 

 Bullhead catfish. The fish was taken in the turtle's mouth, 

 and without any chewing or particular biting, was swallowed 

 head first. A few minutes later we shot and secured the turtle, 

 which was one that would weigh about twelve pounds. Dis- 

 section showed that the catfish that had been swallowed was 

 lacerated in a few places by the sharp beak of the turtle, but 

 was not cut up or pulled to pieces. In the stomach of this 

 same turtle we found two sunfish, a half -grown bullfrog and a 

 crayfish, in addition to the Bullhead catfish mentioned above. 

 Altogether, a rather large amount of food — about a pound — 

 for an animal that weighed only twelve pounds. 



We get rid of the turtles by shooting them and by means of 

 a wire-screen box trap which we illustrate on pages 68 and 69 of 

 this bulletin. We also use steel traps set near the edge of the 

 water and baited with a piece of fish for the capture of Snap- 

 ping turtles. The fish or part of a fish used for bait may be 

 fastened near the shore and just under the water by running 

 an iron rod or sharp stick through it and down into the ground 

 to hold it in place. The chain of the trap should be fastened 

 to a v/ire, stake, or something that will hold it. Steel traps are 

 used for the Snapping turtles as these animals do not climb 

 into the box traps as readily as other varieties. 



The Snake. 



Another natural enemy of the small fish on the Hatchery 

 grounds is the snake. The water snakes are the worst, though 

 the garter snake and some other varieties also catch fish. We 

 begin to kill snakes early in the season and keep it up through 

 the entire summer and fall. We have been thinking ever since 

 we came to the Hatchery grounds that we would soon have all 

 the snakes killed. We believe that, on the average, two or 

 more snakes have been killed each day on the Hatchery grounds 

 during the summer months. However, the snakes are de- 

 creasing in numbers each year. 



