﻿390 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  "At 
  a 
  few 
  points 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  blue 
  crabs 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  at 
  a 
  sufficiently 
  low 
  cost 
  to 
  

   be 
  utilized 
  as 
  terrapin 
  food, 
  but 
  usually 
  the 
  cost 
  is 
  prohibitive. 
  

  

  "Corn 
  meal 
  is 
  sometimes 
  fed 
  to 
  terrapins, 
  being 
  made 
  into 
  a 
  stifT 
  mash 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  

   shallow 
  boxes 
  about 
  the 
  pen. 
  Cabbages 
  and 
  turnips, 
  if 
  sUced 
  or 
  mashed 
  into 
  fairly 
  small 
  

   pieces, 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  eaten 
  readily. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  remembered, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  

   nutritious 
  material 
  in 
  most 
  vegetables 
  is 
  small 
  and 
  a 
  larger 
  quantity 
  must 
  be 
  given 
  than 
  when 
  

   a 
  meat 
  diet 
  is 
  supplied. 
  

  

  "Whatever 
  food 
  is 
  given 
  should 
  be 
  fresh 
  and 
  in 
  such 
  shape 
  that 
  the 
  terrapins 
  can 
  eat 
  it. 
  

   Entire 
  fish, 
  unless 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  small, 
  will 
  be 
  eaten 
  with 
  difficulty, 
  and 
  a 
  terrapin's 
  jaws 
  are 
  

   entirely 
  too 
  weak 
  to 
  crush 
  the 
  shells 
  and 
  claws 
  of 
  the 
  blue 
  crab. 
  

  

  "From 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  reports 
  have 
  been 
  received 
  of 
  the 
  bad 
  effects 
  which 
  have 
  followed 
  an 
  

   attempt 
  to 
  feed 
  terrapins 
  on 
  salt 
  fish 
  and 
  salt 
  pork, 
  but 
  at 
  Beaufort 
  salt 
  fish 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  avail- 
  

   able 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  terrapins 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  and 
  is 
  sometimes 
  fed 
  to 
  the 
  adults. 
  It 
  is 
  

   eaten, 
  but 
  apparently 
  without 
  relish, 
  and 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  nutritious 
  as 
  fresh 
  fish. 
  Salt 
  

   pork 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  tried. 
  It 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  suggested 
  that 
  salt 
  food 
  be 
  utilized 
  -ndth 
  caution 
  and 
  

   when 
  nothing 
  else 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  had. 
  

  

  "In 
  feeding, 
  especially 
  if 
  crabs 
  are 
  used, 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  to 
  feed 
  regularly 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  place; 
  

   the 
  terrapins 
  soon 
  learn 
  to 
  come 
  up 
  for 
  their 
  meal 
  and 
  the 
  litter 
  which 
  they 
  leave 
  can 
  be 
  cleaned 
  

   up 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  more 
  easily 
  than 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  scattered 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  pen. 
  When 
  fish 
  is 
  supplied, 
  

   very 
  little 
  care 
  is 
  required 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  pen 
  reasonably 
  clean, 
  since 
  practically 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  thrown 
  

   in 
  is 
  eaten, 
  and 
  the 
  remainder 
  sinks 
  into 
  the 
  mud 
  or 
  is 
  carried 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  tide. 
  

  

  "It 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  dispute 
  among 
  those 
  who 
  handle 
  terrapins 
  whether 
  fresh 
  water 
  is 
  a 
  neces- 
  

   sity 
  to 
  the 
  animals. 
  At 
  Beaufort, 
  where 
  a 
  flowing 
  well 
  is 
  close 
  at 
  hand, 
  fresh 
  water 
  is 
  supplied 
  

   to 
  each 
  pen, 
  and 
  the 
  terrapins 
  come 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  trough 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  and 
  drink. 
  In 
  

   other 
  places 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  kept 
  for 
  months 
  without 
  any 
  othei- 
  fresh 
  water 
  than 
  that 
  supplied 
  

   by 
  the 
  rain 
  and 
  dew 
  and 
  apparently 
  suffer 
  no 
  ill 
  effects. 
  

  

  "At 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  cold 
  weather 
  the 
  terrapins 
  become 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  inactive 
  and 
  

   finally 
  burrow 
  into 
  the 
  mud 
  and 
  hibernate 
  until 
  warm 
  weather 
  comes 
  again. 
  Theu' 
  period 
  of 
  

   hibernation 
  depends 
  entirely 
  on 
  the 
  temperature, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  fall 
  and 
  early 
  spring 
  and 
  

   even 
  on 
  warm 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  a 
  few 
  individuals 
  may 
  come 
  out 
  and 
  crawl 
  about. 
  At 
  such 
  

   times 
  some 
  watchfulness 
  is 
  required 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  person 
  in 
  charge 
  lest 
  a 
  sudden 
  change 
  

   so 
  benumb 
  the 
  wanderers 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  frozen 
  before 
  they 
  can 
  return 
  to 
  their 
  T^inter 
  quarters. 
  

   The 
  benumbed 
  terrapins 
  and 
  even 
  those 
  apparently 
  frozen 
  to 
  death 
  will 
  probably 
  suffer 
  no 
  

   serious 
  harm 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  put 
  back 
  promptly 
  into 
  their 
  bed. 
  

  

  "When 
  left 
  to 
  themselves 
  the 
  terrapins 
  hibernate 
  in 
  rather 
  deep 
  water 
  or 
  in 
  holes 
  which 
  

   they 
  find 
  or 
  dig 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  below 
  low-water 
  mark. 
  As 
  neither 
  of 
  these 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  fomid 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  inclosure, 
  some 
  substitute 
  should 
  be 
  provided. 
  The 
  

  

  