﻿372 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  ness 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  made 
  these 
  transitions 
  was 
  amusing), 
  pausing 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  and 
  I 
  

   judged 
  it 
  would 
  reach 
  it 
  in 
  fifteen 
  minutes. 
  It 
  was 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  detect 
  that 
  the 
  ground 
  had 
  been 
  

   disturbed 
  there. 
  An 
  Indian 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  made 
  his 
  cache 
  more 
  skilfully. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  

   all 
  traces 
  of 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  lost 
  to 
  the 
  eye. 
  

  

  "The 
  object 
  of 
  moistening 
  the 
  earth 
  was 
  perhaps 
  to 
  enable 
  it 
  to 
  take 
  it 
  up 
  in 
  its 
  hands 
  

   (?), 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  prevent 
  its 
  falling 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  hole. 
  Perhaps 
  it 
  also 
  helped 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  

   ground 
  more 
  compact 
  and 
  harder 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  pressed 
  down. 
  (September 
  10. 
  I 
  can 
  find 
  

   no 
  trace 
  of 
  the 
  tortoise 
  eggs 
  of 
  June 
  18th, 
  though 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  their 
  having 
  been 
  dis- 
  

   turbed 
  by 
  skunks. 
  They 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  hatched 
  earlier)." 
  

  

  Rogers 
  (1917) 
  describes 
  the 
  actions 
  of 
  a 
  turtle 
  which 
  he 
  observed 
  laying 
  her 
  eggs, 
  as 
  follows: 
  

   "She 
  had 
  dug 
  a 
  hole 
  at 
  least 
  four 
  inches 
  deep 
  (perhaps 
  much 
  more), 
  and 
  was 
  laying 
  eggs. 
  I 
  

   saw 
  her 
  lay 
  three, 
  at 
  brief 
  intervals. 
  She 
  would 
  poke 
  each 
  one 
  down 
  among 
  the 
  others 
  and 
  

   pack 
  it 
  in 
  with 
  one 
  or 
  the 
  other 
  hind 
  foot. 
  After 
  laying 
  the 
  last, 
  she 
  shoveled 
  the 
  sand 
  back 
  

   over 
  them 
  with 
  her 
  hind 
  feet 
  (which, 
  normally 
  so 
  far 
  apart, 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  meet 
  and 
  even 
  

   overlap), 
  stamping 
  and 
  pushing 
  it 
  down, 
  awkwardly, 
  but 
  so 
  painstakingly 
  and 
  efficiently 
  that 
  

   when 
  she 
  had 
  finished 
  the 
  spot 
  was 
  indistinguishable. 
  The 
  hole 
  was 
  less 
  wide 
  than 
  deep, 
  and 
  

   the 
  top 
  eggs 
  were 
  under 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  sand. 
  During 
  the 
  whole 
  operation, 
  the 
  turtle's 
  

   head 
  (about 
  half 
  out) 
  , 
  and 
  body 
  remained 
  practically 
  motionless, 
  and 
  I 
  beUeve 
  that 
  she 
  never 
  

   saw 
  her 
  eggs, 
  unless 
  while 
  I 
  was 
  away 
  briefly 
  she 
  turned 
  around 
  expressly 
  to 
  look 
  at 
  them. 
  

   All 
  I 
  have 
  described 
  (took 
  place 
  between 
  five 
  and 
  six 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon), 
  she 
  did 
  while 
  I 
  stood 
  

   close 
  over 
  her 
  where 
  she 
  must 
  have 
  seen 
  me. 
  The 
  animal 
  had 
  come 
  about 
  120 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  

   pond, 
  first 
  through 
  dense 
  bushy 
  growth 
  (Chamaedaphne, 
  etc.), 
  then 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  across 
  the 
  open 
  

   space 
  where 
  her 
  track, 
  fairly 
  straight, 
  was 
  plainly 
  visible." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  imcommon 
  during 
  the 
  laying 
  season, 
  to 
  run 
  across 
  individuals 
  returning 
  to 
  the 
  

   water 
  at 
  dusk, 
  their 
  hind 
  legs 
  and 
  the 
  posterior 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  covered 
  ■with 
  loam. 
  One 
  

   female 
  that 
  I 
  picked 
  up 
  as 
  she 
  was 
  returning 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  dusk 
  after 
  having 
  deposited 
  her 
  

   eggs, 
  appeared 
  much 
  agitated 
  and 
  showed 
  a 
  respiration 
  rate 
  of 
  40 
  per 
  minute. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  

   them 
  along 
  country 
  roads 
  in 
  mid-afternoon 
  at 
  considerable 
  distances 
  from 
  any 
  pond 
  or 
  stream, 
  

   evidently 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  a 
  suitable 
  nesting 
  site. 
  Thoreau 
  has 
  often 
  observed 
  them 
  laying 
  their 
  

   eggs 
  on 
  "southerly 
  sides 
  of 
  hills 
  and 
  banks" 
  near 
  water. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  buried 
  just 
  deep 
  enough 
  

   to 
  obtain 
  the 
  maximum 
  heat 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  even 
  temperature. 
  This 
  species 
  does 
  not 
  begin 
  

   to 
  lay 
  before 
  the 
  eleventh 
  year 
  of 
  its 
  growth. 
  

  

  Habits. 
  — 
  While 
  this 
  turtle 
  must 
  be 
  classed 
  as 
  largely 
  aquatic, 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  regular 
  habit 
  of 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  basking 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  resting 
  on 
  tufts 
  of 
  grass, 
  derelict 
  logs, 
  projecting 
  rocks 
  

   or 
  other 
  suitable 
  perches, 
  and 
  is 
  thus 
  observed 
  often 
  and 
  in 
  considerable 
  nmnbers. 
  Appar- 
  

   ently 
  asleep, 
  it 
  always 
  notes 
  danger 
  quickly 
  and 
  plunges 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  the 
  sUghtest 
  alarm, 
  

   approaching 
  the 
  surface 
  again 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  moments 
  with 
  great 
  caution. 
  It 
  becomes 
  less 
  timid 
  

  

  