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  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  terms 
  "turtle," 
  "terrapin," 
  and 
  "tortoise" 
  are 
  used 
  loosely 
  

   and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  interchangeably, 
  Hornaday 
  (1914) 
  has 
  suggested 
  that: 
  (1) 
  all 
  Chelonians 
  of 
  

   the 
  land 
  only 
  should 
  be 
  called 
  tortoises; 
  (2) 
  all 
  Chelonians 
  of 
  fresh 
  water 
  should 
  be 
  called 
  terra- 
  

   pins; 
  (3) 
  all 
  Chelonians 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  should 
  be 
  called 
  turtles. 
  

  

  In 
  "psychological 
  development" 
  or 
  intelligence 
  turtles 
  stand 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  their 
  class, 
  

   occupying 
  a 
  position 
  between 
  birds 
  and 
  batrachians. 
  As 
  this 
  is 
  also 
  true 
  of 
  their 
  structure, 
  

   the 
  formula 
  that 
  the 
  rank 
  of 
  an 
  order 
  structurally, 
  expresses 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  

   its 
  mental 
  development, 
  is 
  here 
  illustrated. 
  

  

  The 
  Mmits 
  of 
  distribution 
  for 
  turtles 
  are 
  roughly 
  between 
  50 
  degrees 
  North 
  latitude 
  in 
  

   the 
  western 
  hemisphere, 
  56 
  degrees 
  North 
  latitude 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  hemisphere, 
  and 
  36 
  degrees 
  

   South 
  latitude. 
  Marine 
  turtles, 
  however, 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  pass 
  beyond 
  these 
  limits. 
  New 
  

   England 
  includes 
  the 
  northern 
  limit 
  of 
  distribution 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  Chelonia 
  of 
  eastern 
  North 
  

   America, 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  species 
  extending 
  still 
  farther 
  northward. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  habits 
  turtles 
  are 
  diurnal, 
  except 
  during 
  oviposition. 
  Land 
  tortoises 
  are 
  very 
  

   slow 
  and 
  deliberate 
  in 
  their 
  movements 
  while 
  many 
  aquatic 
  species 
  are 
  very 
  agile 
  and 
  very 
  

   shy. 
  Turtles 
  remain 
  throughout 
  their 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  locality, 
  with 
  the 
  notable 
  excep- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  marine 
  species, 
  which 
  are 
  great 
  wanderers. 
  Their 
  tenacity 
  of 
  life 
  is 
  remarkable. 
  

   Specimens 
  have 
  been 
  kept 
  alive 
  for 
  a 
  year 
  without 
  food 
  or 
  water; 
  others 
  have 
  been 
  frozen 
  

   soUd 
  in 
  ice, 
  thawed 
  out, 
  and 
  still 
  survived. 
  They 
  attain 
  to 
  great 
  age. 
  Gilbert 
  White's 
  famous 
  

   tortoise 
  {Testudo 
  ibera) 
  lived 
  nearly 
  sixty 
  years. 
  A 
  giant 
  tortoise 
  {T. 
  sumerrei) 
  was 
  in 
  cap- 
  

   tivity 
  at 
  Port 
  Louis 
  when 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Mauritius 
  became 
  a 
  British 
  possession 
  in 
  1810. 
  It 
  

   was 
  still 
  alive 
  in 
  1909, 
  although 
  nearly 
  blind, 
  being 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  barracks 
  of 
  the 
  

   garrison. 
  Undoubtedly 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  giant 
  land 
  tortoises 
  of 
  the 
  Galapagos 
  and 
  Aldabra 
  Islands 
  

   are 
  the 
  oldest 
  Uving 
  animals 
  on 
  earth. 
  Determining 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  turtles 
  from 
  dates 
  previously 
  

   cut 
  in 
  their 
  shells 
  may 
  be 
  very 
  misleading. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  Chelonia 
  varies 
  with 
  the 
  species. 
  Land 
  tortoises 
  and 
  some 
  marine 
  turtles 
  

   are 
  strictly 
  herbivorous, 
  while 
  other 
  groups 
  are 
  carnivorous 
  or 
  omnivorous. 
  

  

  All 
  Chelonians 
  are 
  oviparous, 
  the 
  eggs 
  being 
  white 
  in 
  color, 
  round 
  or 
  oval 
  in 
  shape. 
  They 
  

   are 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  are 
  hatched 
  by 
  the 
  heat 
  from 
  the 
  sun. 
  The 
  young 
  are 
  entirely 
  

   self-supporting 
  from 
  birth. 
  

  

  The 
  natural 
  enemies 
  of 
  turtles 
  are 
  comparatively 
  few 
  in 
  number 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  continual 
  

   source 
  of 
  wonder 
  to 
  naturaUsts 
  that 
  the 
  fresh-water 
  terrapins, 
  especially, 
  should 
  be 
  so 
  shy 
  

   and 
  eternally 
  vigilant. 
  In 
  the 
  South, 
  crocodiles 
  and 
  alligators 
  devour 
  them, 
  and 
  in 
  South 
  

   America 
  the 
  large 
  cats 
  hunt 
  them. 
  Sea 
  turtles 
  are 
  subject 
  to 
  attacks 
  from 
  sharks 
  and 
  other 
  

   predaceous 
  fish. 
  By 
  far 
  the 
  greatest 
  factor 
  in 
  depleting 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  is 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  their 
  eggs. 
  These 
  constitute 
  a 
  rare 
  delicacy 
  for 
  skunks, 
  raccoons, 
  weasels, 
  

   to 
  say 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  tremendous 
  inroads 
  made 
  each 
  year 
  in 
  certain 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  by 
  man. 
  

  

  