﻿DIAMOND-BACK 
  TERRAPIN. 
  383 
  

  

  her 
  hind 
  feet, 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  inches 
  deep, 
  and 
  deposits 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  twelve 
  eggs. 
  The 
  nests 
  are 
  made 
  

   along 
  the 
  sandy 
  edges 
  of 
  salt 
  marshes 
  or 
  rivers, 
  above 
  the 
  high-water 
  Hne. 
  Coker 
  speaks 
  of 
  

   finding 
  them 
  on 
  "sandy 
  lumps" 
  which 
  the 
  winds 
  and 
  waves 
  have 
  beaten 
  up 
  and 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  rendered 
  stable 
  by 
  grass 
  roots. 
  He 
  says 
  (1906, 
  p. 
  24): 
  "The 
  ground 
  was 
  dug 
  up 
  care- 
  

   fully, 
  and, 
  in 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  hours 
  digging, 
  seven 
  nests 
  were 
  discovered. 
  On 
  one 
  lump 
  four 
  

   nests, 
  containing 
  four, 
  five, 
  six, 
  and 
  seven 
  eggs 
  respectively, 
  were 
  found 
  at 
  depths 
  of 
  six 
  to 
  

   eight 
  inches; 
  except 
  that 
  the 
  nest 
  with 
  four 
  eggs 
  (the 
  only 
  one 
  not 
  on 
  the 
  highest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   elevation) 
  was 
  only 
  three 
  inches 
  below 
  the 
  surface. 
  This 
  nest 
  contained 
  only 
  small 
  eggs. 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  lump 
  were 
  found 
  three 
  nests 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  depths 
  with 
  two, 
  five, 
  and 
  eight 
  

   eggs 
  respectively. 
  Perhaps 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  dug, 
  for 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  

   desired 
  to 
  disturb 
  other 
  nests. 
  In 
  each 
  lump 
  the 
  higher 
  part 
  was 
  20 
  to 
  30 
  feet 
  long 
  by 
  about 
  

   6 
  feet 
  wide. 
  With 
  one 
  exception, 
  the 
  nests 
  were 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  highest 
  part, 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  

   submerged 
  only 
  by 
  a 
  very 
  high 
  storm-tide." 
  The 
  eggs 
  hatch 
  in 
  about 
  six 
  weeks. 
  If 
  the 
  season 
  

   is 
  cold 
  the 
  incubation 
  period 
  is 
  longer. 
  

  

  Habits. 
  — 
  The 
  extensively 
  webbed 
  hind 
  feet 
  enable 
  this 
  terrapin 
  to 
  move 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  

   water 
  with 
  perfect 
  ease, 
  either 
  floating 
  with 
  just 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  nose 
  above 
  the 
  surface, 
  browsing 
  

   about 
  the 
  vegetation 
  for 
  food, 
  or 
  slowly 
  moving 
  along 
  the 
  bottom. 
  Coker 
  writes 
  in 
  this 
  con- 
  

   nection: 
  "Some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  terrapin 
  may 
  be 
  gained 
  from 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  a 
  typi- 
  

   cal 
  collecting 
  trip. 
  While 
  the 
  tide 
  is 
  still 
  ebbing, 
  the 
  collector 
  starts 
  out 
  over 
  the 
  marshes 
  

   carrying 
  a 
  stick 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  probe 
  into 
  the 
  mud. 
  The 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  

   marsh 
  are 
  reached 
  with 
  especial 
  care, 
  since 
  the 
  terrapins 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  frequent 
  these 
  places 
  

   for 
  convenience 
  in 
  feeding 
  at 
  high 
  tide. 
  It 
  requires 
  the 
  sharp 
  eye 
  of 
  an 
  experienced 
  fisherman 
  

   to 
  detect 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  terrapin 
  when 
  all 
  except, 
  perhaps, 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  possibly 
  a 
  small 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  carapace 
  is 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  soft 
  black 
  mud 
  of 
  the 
  grassy 
  marsh. 
  Often 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  

   merely 
  by 
  probing 
  ^\dth 
  the 
  stick 
  into 
  suspicious 
  depressions 
  in 
  the 
  mud, 
  or 
  other 
  places, 
  which 
  

   appear 
  probable 
  or 
  possible 
  hiding-places 
  of 
  a 
  terrapin. 
  On 
  one 
  occasion, 
  a 
  terrapin 
  just 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  marsh 
  was 
  put 
  back 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  allowed 
  to 
  crawl 
  away. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  

   the 
  path 
  over 
  the 
  mud 
  was 
  traced. 
  Winding 
  about 
  through 
  the 
  grass 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  yards, 
  it 
  passed 
  

   through 
  several 
  watery 
  depressions, 
  and 
  terminated 
  at 
  one 
  just 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  accommodate 
  a 
  

   crab 
  that 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  apparent 
  creature 
  in 
  it. 
  Only 
  the 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  fresh 
  track 
  terminating 
  

   there 
  led 
  to 
  further 
  examination. 
  The 
  terrapin 
  was 
  found 
  buried 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  inches 
  in 
  the 
  

   soft 
  mud 
  underneath 
  the 
  crab." 
  Hibernation 
  begins 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  cold 
  weather, 
  

   but 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  broken 
  on 
  warm 
  days. 
  Eventually 
  the 
  animal 
  buries 
  itself 
  completely 
  

   at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  some 
  pool 
  or 
  stream 
  and 
  remains 
  until 
  spring. 
  W. 
  P. 
  Hay 
  (1905, 
  p. 
  10) 
  says: 
  

   "Very 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  winter 
  sleep 
  is 
  over 
  it 
  seeks 
  out 
  others 
  of 
  its 
  kind 
  and 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  repro- 
  

   duction 
  begins. 
  Conjugation 
  usually 
  takes 
  place 
  at 
  night 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  early 
  hours 
  of 
  morn- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  the 
  diminutive 
  male 
  being 
  carried 
  about 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  female." 
  

  

  