﻿MITD 
  TURTLE. 
  365 
  

  

  lay 
  until 
  the 
  seventh 
  of 
  October 
  (1856), 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  brought 
  forth 
  a 
  single 
  egg." 
  It 
  must 
  

   be 
  remembered 
  that 
  with 
  captive 
  turtles 
  this 
  habit 
  is 
  always 
  retarded. 
  

  

  Habits.— 
  W. 
  H. 
  Smith 
  (1879) 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  Mud 
  Turtle 
  is 
  less 
  of 
  a 
  water 
  turtle 
  than 
  others 
  

   of 
  the 
  family, 
  that 
  it 
  "burrows 
  in 
  drier 
  ground, 
  where 
  it 
  also 
  hibernates." 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  connection 
  Wetmore 
  and 
  Harper 
  (1917) 
  relate 
  the 
  follomng: 
  "March 
  25, 
  1917, 
  

   was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  warm, 
  bright 
  daj's 
  of 
  spring 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity. 
  At 
  10:30 
  a. 
  m., 
  while 
  work- 
  

   ing 
  along 
  the 
  border 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Potomac 
  marshes 
  two 
  miles 
  below 
  Alexandria, 
  Va., 
  we 
  picked 
  

   up 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  Kinosternon 
  petinsylvanicum 
  (Bosc) 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  thicket 
  of 
  Smilax. 
  Casual 
  

   examination 
  sho\\ed 
  that 
  the 
  animal 
  had 
  but 
  recently 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  its 
  place 
  of 
  hibernation. 
  

   Its 
  carapace 
  and 
  limbs 
  were 
  encrusted 
  with 
  freshly 
  dried 
  earth, 
  and 
  the 
  turtle 
  seemed 
  more 
  

   sluggish 
  than 
  usual 
  in 
  its 
  reactions 
  while 
  being 
  handled. 
  This 
  excited 
  our 
  curiosity, 
  and 
  a 
  

   short 
  search 
  revealed 
  an 
  opening 
  beneath 
  some 
  dead 
  leaves, 
  onlj' 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  inches 
  from 
  the 
  

   spot 
  where 
  the 
  turtle 
  was 
  disco^^ered. 
  After 
  clearmg 
  away 
  the 
  thorny 
  entangling 
  stems 
  of 
  

   green-briar, 
  we 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  hole, 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  

   unquestionabl}- 
  been 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  place 
  of 
  hibernation. 
  

  

  "The 
  location 
  chosen 
  was 
  about 
  50 
  yards 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  marsh, 
  in 
  a 
  shallow, 
  furrowhke 
  

   depression 
  leading 
  down 
  through 
  a 
  gently 
  sloping 
  field. 
  Broom-sedge 
  covered 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   field, 
  and 
  a 
  varied 
  growth 
  of 
  shrubs 
  and 
  low 
  trees 
  was 
  scattered 
  through 
  it. 
  The 
  excavation 
  

   was 
  near 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  a 
  low 
  but 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  S^nilax 
  four 
  or 
  fi\'e 
  feet 
  in 
  width, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  

   was 
  protected 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  from 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  predatory 
  animals. 
  The 
  soil 
  here 
  was 
  a 
  sandy 
  

   loam, 
  through 
  \\hich 
  the 
  tough 
  roots 
  of 
  green-briar 
  grew 
  in 
  interlacing 
  lines. 
  The 
  earth 
  was 
  

   friable 
  and 
  easily 
  thrust 
  aside 
  save 
  where 
  the 
  root 
  growths 
  prevented. 
  The 
  opening 
  through 
  

   which 
  the 
  turtle 
  had 
  emerged 
  was 
  roughly 
  elliptical 
  in 
  outline. 
  It 
  was 
  broad 
  enough 
  to 
  admit 
  

   the 
  turtle 
  easily 
  with 
  its 
  legs 
  extended. 
  The 
  burrow 
  descended 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  about 
  45 
  degrees, 
  

   and 
  was 
  approximately 
  9§ 
  inches 
  deep. 
  The 
  pitch 
  of 
  descent 
  decreased 
  toward 
  the 
  lower 
  end, 
  

   and 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  the 
  excavation 
  was 
  sUghth' 
  widened, 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  turtle 
  might 
  have 
  rested 
  with 
  

   its 
  body 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  burrow. 
  The 
  main 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  burrow 
  was 
  open, 
  though 
  drifting 
  

   leaves 
  held 
  by 
  the 
  Stmlax 
  stems 
  had 
  covered 
  the 
  entrance. 
  In 
  the 
  lower 
  part, 
  however, 
  was 
  

   a 
  mass 
  of 
  earth 
  containing 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  water, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  formed 
  a 
  stiff 
  mud 
  paste, 
  

   which 
  was 
  A'ery 
  cold 
  to 
  the 
  touch. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  could 
  tell, 
  the 
  turtle 
  had 
  lain 
  encased 
  in 
  this 
  

   mud 
  during 
  its 
  hibernation. 
  The 
  tunnel 
  walls 
  were 
  dry. 
  

  

  "Several 
  fresh 
  shells 
  of 
  Aromochelys 
  odoratus 
  and 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  Kinosternon 
  pennsylvanicum 
  

   were 
  seen 
  lying 
  about 
  in 
  wooded 
  areas 
  bordering 
  this 
  same 
  marsh. 
  Thus 
  the 
  emergence 
  of 
  

   these 
  turtles 
  from 
  hibernation 
  had 
  been 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  others. 
  The 
  shells 
  had 
  been 
  eaten 
  out 
  

   and 
  left 
  lying 
  on 
  logs, 
  stumps, 
  or 
  the 
  ground. 
  Apparently 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  crows. 
  Amer- 
  

   ican 
  Crows 
  were 
  feeding 
  here 
  in 
  abundance, 
  and 
  with 
  them 
  were 
  a 
  few 
  Fish 
  Crows. 
  

  

  "The 
  turtle 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  found 
  was 
  taken 
  home 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  basin 
  of 
  water. 
  For 
  

  

  