﻿370 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  is 
  found 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  Thompson 
  (1842) 
  reports 
  it 
  from 
  Vermont 
  and 
  calls 
  it 
  "cm- 
  

   most 
  common 
  species." 
  Huse 
  (1901) 
  reports 
  it 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  species 
  in 
  New 
  Hampshire. 
  

   Linslej^ 
  (1843) 
  records 
  it 
  from 
  Connecticut. 
  Hitchcock 
  (1835) 
  and 
  Storer 
  (1840) 
  have 
  reported 
  

   it 
  in 
  Massachusetts. 
  

  

  Numbers. 
  — 
  From 
  the 
  foregoing 
  records 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  this 
  turtle 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  

   of 
  all 
  our 
  New 
  England 
  species. 
  I 
  have 
  certainly 
  so 
  observed 
  it 
  for 
  eastern 
  Massachusetts. 
  

  

  Habitat: 
  — 
  Ditches, 
  ponds, 
  and 
  streams. 
  This 
  tm-tle, 
  however, 
  is 
  not 
  strictly 
  aquatic. 
  

   I 
  have 
  taken 
  individuals 
  in 
  salt 
  marshes. 
  The 
  epidermis 
  of 
  such 
  specimens, 
  especially 
  over 
  

   the 
  carapace 
  and 
  plastron, 
  was 
  always 
  coated 
  with, 
  a 
  rusty 
  deposit. 
  

  

  Breeding 
  Habits. 
  — 
  The 
  actions 
  of 
  this 
  turtle 
  during 
  the 
  mating 
  season 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  

   by 
  several 
  writers. 
  Pycraft 
  (1914, 
  p. 
  168) 
  says: 
  "In 
  certain 
  abnormal, 
  sexually 
  poisoned 
  

   individuals 
  among 
  the 
  human 
  race 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  pleasure 
  is 
  derived 
  from 
  flagellation. 
  There 
  

   is 
  but 
  one 
  instance 
  known 
  to 
  me 
  where 
  this 
  obtains 
  as 
  a 
  normal 
  accompaniment 
  of 
  desire 
  among 
  

   the 
  lower 
  animals, 
  and 
  this 
  occurs 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Painted 
  Terrapins 
  {Chrysemys 
  pida), 
  whose 
  

   finger-nails 
  are 
  produced 
  into 
  long, 
  whip-hke 
  ends. 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  good 
  fortune 
  to 
  witness 
  their 
  

   use 
  one 
  day 
  when 
  in 
  the 
  Reptile 
  House 
  at 
  the 
  Zoological 
  Gardens 
  in 
  London. 
  The 
  miusual 
  

   activity 
  of 
  a 
  male 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  thing 
  to 
  attract 
  attention 
  to 
  his 
  movements. 
  

   Watched 
  more 
  closely, 
  he 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  dodging 
  a 
  female 
  and 
  making 
  frantic 
  efforts 
  to 
  swim 
  

   round 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  oppose 
  her 
  path. 
  This 
  done, 
  he 
  closed 
  up 
  and 
  immediately 
  conmienced 
  to 
  

   apply 
  the 
  bastinado 
  to 
  her 
  head. 
  The 
  movements 
  were 
  so 
  rapid 
  that 
  nothing 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  

   blurred 
  image 
  of 
  these 
  strange 
  whips 
  was 
  visible. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  she 
  escaped 
  his 
  attentions, 
  he 
  

   set 
  about 
  circumventing 
  her 
  again, 
  and 
  again 
  succeeded 
  : 
  and 
  this 
  most 
  extraordinary 
  perform- 
  

   ance 
  was 
  repeated 
  many 
  times 
  diu-ing 
  my 
  watch." 
  

  

  Wyman 
  (quoted 
  by 
  Agassiz, 
  1857, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  300) 
  had 
  "the 
  rare 
  opportunity 
  of 
  watching 
  

   two 
  Chrysemys 
  picta 
  while 
  making 
  love, 
  and 
  he 
  saw 
  the 
  male 
  caressing 
  and 
  patting 
  the 
  head 
  

   of 
  the 
  female 
  with 
  its 
  fore 
  feet 
  for 
  several 
  minutes." 
  The 
  males 
  especially 
  become 
  very 
  ani- 
  

   mated 
  under 
  the 
  stimulus 
  of 
  mate-hunger. 
  

  

  In 
  Massachusetts 
  the 
  Painted 
  Terrapin 
  lays 
  its 
  eggs 
  between 
  the 
  Uth 
  and 
  25th 
  of 
  June 
  

   and, 
  as 
  first 
  recorded 
  by 
  Louis 
  Agassiz, 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  afternoon 
  or 
  evening 
  (quite 
  the 
  oppo- 
  

   site 
  of 
  the 
  Snapping 
  Turtle). 
  This 
  species 
  lays 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  seven, 
  or 
  sometimes 
  eight 
  eggs. 
  

   Their 
  form 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  "elongated 
  elhpse." 
  The 
  shell 
  is 
  not 
  highly 
  calcareous 
  and 
  is 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  soft 
  when 
  fresh. 
  The 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  from 
  26 
  to 
  30 
  mm. 
  by 
  16 
  or 
  17 
  mm. 
  

  

  Thoreau 
  (1884, 
  p. 
  179) 
  gives 
  the 
  following 
  minute 
  description 
  of 
  this 
  turtle's 
  nesting 
  

   habits: 
  "JunelS, 
  1855. 
  To 
  Hemlocks. 
  . 
  .At3p.M.,as 
  I 
  walked 
  up 
  the 
  bank 
  by 
  the 
  Hemlocks, 
  

   I 
  saw 
  a 
  painted 
  tortoise 
  just 
  beginning 
  its 
  hole. 
  Then 
  another 
  a 
  dozen 
  rods 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  

   on 
  the 
  bare, 
  barren 
  field 
  near 
  some 
  pitch 
  pines, 
  where 
  the 
  earth 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  cladonias, 
  

   cinquefoil, 
  sorrel, 
  etc. 
  Its 
  hole 
  was 
  about 
  two 
  thirds 
  done. 
  I 
  stooped 
  down 
  over 
  it, 
  and 
  to 
  

  

  