﻿PAINTED 
  TURTLE. 
  371 
  

  

  my 
  surprise, 
  after 
  a 
  slight 
  pause, 
  it 
  proceeded 
  in 
  its 
  work 
  directly 
  under 
  and 
  within 
  eighteen 
  

   inches 
  of 
  my 
  face. 
  I 
  retained 
  a 
  constrained 
  position 
  for 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  hour 
  or 
  more 
  

   for 
  fear 
  of 
  alarming 
  it. 
  It 
  rested 
  on 
  its 
  fore-legs, 
  the 
  front 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  shell 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  higher 
  

   than 
  the 
  rear, 
  and 
  this 
  position 
  was 
  not 
  changed, 
  essentially, 
  to 
  the 
  last. 
  The 
  hole 
  was 
  oval, 
  

   broadest 
  behind, 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  wide 
  and 
  one 
  and 
  three-quarters 
  long, 
  and 
  the 
  dirt 
  already 
  

   removed 
  was 
  quite 
  wet 
  or 
  moistened. 
  It 
  made 
  the 
  hole 
  and 
  removed 
  the 
  dirt 
  with 
  its 
  hind 
  

   legs 
  only, 
  not 
  using 
  its 
  tail 
  or 
  shell, 
  which 
  last, 
  of 
  course, 
  could 
  not 
  enter 
  the 
  hole, 
  though 
  there 
  

   was 
  some 
  dirt 
  on 
  it. 
  It 
  first 
  scratched 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  with 
  one 
  hind 
  foot, 
  then 
  took 
  up 
  a 
  

   pinch 
  of 
  the 
  loose 
  sand 
  and 
  deposited 
  it 
  directly 
  behind 
  that 
  leg, 
  pushing 
  it 
  backward 
  to 
  its 
  full 
  

   length, 
  and 
  then 
  deliberately 
  opening 
  it 
  and 
  letting 
  the 
  dirt 
  fall. 
  Then 
  the 
  same 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  

   hind 
  foot. 
  This 
  it 
  did 
  rapidly, 
  using 
  each 
  leg 
  alternately 
  with 
  perfect 
  regularity, 
  standing 
  on 
  

   the 
  other 
  the 
  while, 
  and 
  thus 
  tilting 
  up 
  its 
  shell 
  each 
  time, 
  now 
  to 
  this 
  side, 
  then 
  to 
  that. 
  There 
  

   was 
  half 
  a 
  minute 
  or 
  a 
  minute 
  between 
  each 
  change. 
  The 
  hole 
  was 
  made 
  as 
  deep 
  as 
  the 
  feet 
  

   could 
  reach, 
  or 
  about 
  two 
  inches. 
  It 
  was 
  very 
  neat 
  about 
  its 
  work, 
  not 
  scattering 
  the 
  dirt 
  

   about 
  more 
  than 
  was 
  necessary. 
  The 
  completing 
  of 
  the 
  hole 
  occupied 
  perhaps 
  five 
  minutes. 
  

   It 
  then, 
  without 
  any 
  pause, 
  drew 
  its 
  head 
  completely 
  into 
  its 
  shell, 
  raised 
  the 
  rear 
  a 
  little, 
  and 
  

   protruded, 
  and 
  dropped 
  a 
  wet, 
  flesh-colored 
  egg 
  into 
  the 
  hole, 
  one 
  end 
  foremost. 
  Then 
  it 
  put 
  

   out 
  its 
  head 
  again 
  a 
  Uttle 
  slowly, 
  and 
  placed 
  the 
  egg 
  one 
  side 
  with 
  hind 
  foot. 
  After 
  a 
  delay 
  of 
  

   about 
  two 
  minutes 
  it 
  again 
  drew 
  in 
  its 
  head 
  and 
  dropped 
  another, 
  and 
  so 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  fifth, 
  drawing 
  

   in 
  its 
  head 
  each 
  time, 
  and 
  pausing 
  somewhat 
  longer 
  between 
  the 
  last. 
  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  placed 
  

   in 
  the 
  hole 
  without 
  any 
  particular 
  care, 
  only 
  well 
  down 
  flat, 
  and 
  each 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  

   next. 
  I 
  could 
  plainly 
  see 
  them 
  from 
  above. 
  

  

  "After 
  ten 
  minutes 
  or 
  more, 
  without 
  pause 
  or 
  turning, 
  it 
  began 
  to 
  scrape 
  the 
  moist 
  earth 
  

   into 
  the 
  hole 
  wdth 
  its 
  hind 
  legs, 
  and 
  when 
  it 
  had 
  half 
  filled 
  it, 
  carefully 
  pressed 
  the 
  earth 
  down 
  

   with 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  its 
  hind 
  feet, 
  dancing 
  on 
  these 
  alternately 
  for 
  some 
  time, 
  as 
  on 
  its 
  knees, 
  

   tilting 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side, 
  pressing 
  by 
  the 
  whole 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  its 
  shell. 
  When 
  it 
  had 
  

   drawn 
  in 
  thus 
  all 
  the 
  earth 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  moistened, 
  it 
  stretched 
  its 
  hind 
  legs 
  further 
  back 
  and 
  

   to 
  each 
  side, 
  and 
  drew 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  and 
  lichen-clad 
  crust, 
  and 
  then 
  danced 
  upon 
  and 
  pressed 
  

   that 
  down, 
  still 
  not 
  moving 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  its 
  shell 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  inch 
  to 
  right 
  or 
  left 
  all 
  the 
  while, 
  

   or 
  changing 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  forward 
  part 
  at 
  all. 
  The 
  thoroughness 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  cover- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  done 
  was 
  remarkable. 
  It 
  persevered 
  in 
  drawing 
  in 
  and 
  dancing 
  on 
  the 
  dry 
  sm-face 
  

   which 
  had 
  never 
  been 
  disturbed, 
  long 
  after 
  you 
  thought 
  it 
  had 
  done 
  its 
  duty, 
  but 
  it 
  never 
  moved 
  

   its 
  fore-feet, 
  nor 
  once 
  looked 
  round, 
  nor 
  saw 
  the 
  eggs 
  it 
  had 
  laid. 
  There 
  were 
  frequent 
  pauses 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  whole, 
  when 
  it 
  rested, 
  or 
  ran 
  out 
  its 
  head 
  and 
  looked 
  about 
  circumspectly 
  

   at 
  any 
  noise 
  or 
  motion. 
  These 
  pauses 
  were 
  especially 
  long 
  during 
  the 
  covering 
  of 
  its 
  eggs, 
  

   which 
  occupied 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  an 
  hour. 
  Perhaps 
  it 
  was 
  hard 
  work. 
  

  

  "When 
  it 
  had 
  done, 
  it 
  immediately 
  started 
  for 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  a 
  pretty 
  rapid 
  rate 
  (the 
  sudden- 
  

  

  