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Peeen Ee SHOR TH VICINITY OF NEW VORK CITY 131 
In some localities the Musk Turtle is very common, particu- 
larly in slow-running rivers with soft, muddy beds. When 
annoyed, it gives off a musky odor which is strong 
enough to be offensive. The carapace of an old speci- pat 
men is usually so overgrown with moss as to be seen 
with difficulty when the animal is lying in the mud in shallow 
water, as is its habit. This species is frequently hooked in fresh- 
water fishing. In many ways the species resembles, in minia- 
ture, the Snapping Turtle. From three to four inches is the 
maximum size. 
FIG. 85. MUSK TURTLE; ON ITS BACK 
Range: Eastern North America from Canada to the Gulf of 
Mexico. 
Local distribution: General in slow-running streams and 
ponds. Occurs within the limits of New York City, and is very 
common in the Bronx River. 
None among our turtles is better known, although possibly 
only by name, than the Diamond-back Turtle, or Terrapin, 
Malacoclemmys palustris (Figs. 36 and 37). The piamond- 
shields of the carapace rise from the surface of the back 
shell in a series of rough, concentric rings; the row of Terrapin. 
shields down the back shows a broken keel which rises rather 
sharply in the center of each plate: this condition is especially 
