﻿362 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  indefinitely 
  under 
  such 
  conditions. 
  Pond 
  turtles 
  or 
  river 
  turtles 
  — 
  terrapin 
  — 
  if 
  thus 
  treated, 
  

   would 
  have 
  soon 
  become 
  exhausted 
  and 
  ultimately 
  succumbed 
  by 
  d^o^vning." 
  

  

  Food 
  Habits. 
  — 
  The 
  Musk 
  Turtle 
  is 
  principally 
  carnivorous, 
  feeding 
  on 
  small 
  fish, 
  aquatic 
  

   insects, 
  worms, 
  fish 
  eggs, 
  pollywogs, 
  and 
  other 
  small 
  forms 
  of 
  animal 
  life. 
  It 
  often 
  takes 
  the 
  

   worm-baited 
  hook 
  of 
  fishermen. 
  Surface 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  four 
  Musk 
  Turtles 
  : 
  snails, 
  

   insects, 
  crickets, 
  larvae 
  of 
  Lepidoptera, 
  and 
  beetles. 
  

  

  My 
  young 
  captive 
  specimens 
  were 
  always 
  voracious, 
  taking 
  flies, 
  grass-crickets 
  and 
  other 
  

   insects, 
  although 
  never 
  attempting 
  to 
  attack 
  the 
  goldfish 
  in 
  the 
  aquarium. 
  They 
  were 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  aroused 
  to 
  action 
  by 
  earthworms, 
  which 
  they 
  would 
  attack 
  with 
  great 
  vigor, 
  hanging 
  

   on 
  while 
  being 
  thrown 
  all 
  about 
  the 
  tank 
  by 
  the 
  contortions 
  of 
  the 
  worm. 
  Often 
  it 
  was 
  eaten 
  

   whole 
  and 
  alive, 
  the 
  young 
  host 
  becoming 
  so 
  distended 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  unable 
  to 
  \\dthdraw 
  his 
  legs 
  

   or 
  head 
  into 
  the 
  shell. 
  One 
  of 
  my 
  very 
  small 
  specimens 
  (carapace 
  length 
  lie 
  inches) 
  

   attacked 
  and 
  devoured, 
  whole 
  and 
  alive, 
  an 
  earthworm 
  nearly 
  twice 
  its 
  length 
  in 
  exactly 
  sixty- 
  

   five 
  seconds. 
  

  

  Enemies. 
  — 
  Predaceous 
  mammals 
  undoubtedly 
  destroy 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  each 
  

   year, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  young 
  immediately 
  seek 
  the 
  pond 
  bottoms, 
  they 
  are 
  exposed 
  only 
  to 
  large 
  

   predaceous 
  fish 
  which 
  are 
  uncommon 
  in 
  these 
  localities. 
  One 
  young 
  specimen 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  

   in 
  confinement 
  developed 
  a 
  white 
  tumor-like 
  mass 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  front 
  legs. 
  On 
  removal 
  a 
  

   smooth, 
  bleeding 
  surface 
  was 
  left. 
  Under 
  the 
  microscope 
  this 
  tumor 
  mass 
  showed 
  many 
  

   layers 
  of 
  epitheUal 
  cells, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  a 
  form 
  suggesting 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Filariae 
  was 
  found. 
  

   It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  these 
  turtles 
  are 
  infested 
  with 
  some 
  specific 
  parasite. 
  

  

  Economic 
  Importance. 
  — 
  The 
  Musk 
  Turtle 
  has 
  no 
  direct 
  commercial 
  value. 
  As 
  a 
  scavenger, 
  

   however, 
  it 
  plays 
  its 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  economy 
  of 
  Nature. 
  

  

  