SNAPPING TURTLE. 657 
costals very large, nearly quadrilateral, the lower edge rounded, the first costal largest, 
almost triangular; marginal plates twenty-four or twenty-five; of sternal shields, . 
the abdominal much the largest. Length of carapax, 1 foot; length of head and neck, 7 
inches ; height of carapax 4 inches. 
Habitat, Ecuador, Florida and Louisiana; north to Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, 
Canada and Maine. 
. This species is not only common in all parts of the State, but is 
frequently met with throughout its whole range. Itis usually known as 
the Snapping Turtle, though called also Land Turtle, Snake, and Ser- 
rated Tortoise in the north, and Loggerhead and Alligator Terrapin 
in the south. 
It is a ferocious animal; when annoyed it throws itself into an attitude 
of defence, snaps violently with its mandibles inflicting asevere wound, 
and will not let go its hold even after the cutting offof its head. They 
live in ponds and muddy streams, but are occasionally found at a dis- 
tance from water. Oviposition occurs the latter part of June, a hole 
being scooped out in the sand, and from sixty to seventy elliptical eggs 
deposited therein. These eggsas wellas the turtles, are by some esteemed 
a luxury for food, in fact the writer has known persons to keep the ani- 
mals for a long time in a barrel with dish water, sour milk, and refuse 
from the table generally, in order to fatten and prepare them for use. 
The young are considered preferable. In advanced life the meat 
becomes rank, and at times emits a musky odor, rendering it unpalatable. 
Those found around Ann Arbor, Michigan, have a large number of fresh 
water alge growing upon their carapax. 
This species is well marked, being characterized by its powerfully 
hooked jaws, its spinous caudal crest and small cruciform plastron com- 
posed of twelve plates. The only species with which it can be con- 
founded is Macrochelys lacertina, which probably is not found in the State. 
SAM LLY BMY DID A. POND TURTLES: 
Head, neck, and feet moderate, the latter more or less palmate; mandibles horny, 
the upper not hooked ; carapax oval or oblong, broadest posteriorly, usually depressed, 
but highest medially, and composed of hard osseous plates, never soft and leathery; 
sternal shields twelve, usually soldered immovably together and to the carapax, form- 
ing a large, oval or oblong plastrop ; knees and elbows not slipping in naked among 
the viscera; animals living for the most part in marshes, and in or along the edges of 
ponds, pools, and streams ; young living almost exclusively in water, much more so than 
the adult. 
42 
