﻿DIAMOND-BACK 
  TERRAPIN. 
  391 
  

  

  most 
  satisfactory 
  shelter 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  nailing 
  boards 
  together 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  surface 
  of 
  sufficient 
  

   size 
  and 
  supporting 
  this 
  on 
  stakes 
  about 
  a 
  foot 
  above 
  the 
  bottom 
  in 
  some 
  protected 
  corner 
  

   of 
  the 
  pen. 
  The 
  space 
  beneath 
  this 
  should 
  be 
  filled 
  with 
  eelgrass. 
  A 
  platform 
  of 
  this 
  kind, 
  

   3 
  feet 
  wide 
  and 
  5 
  feet 
  long, 
  will 
  accommodate 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  75 
  large 
  terrapins 
  without 
  crowding, 
  

   and 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  times 
  that 
  number 
  if 
  they 
  arrange 
  themselves 
  in 
  layers, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  prone 
  

   to 
  do. 
  

  

  "So 
  far 
  as 
  is 
  known, 
  diamond-back 
  terrapins 
  are 
  not 
  subject 
  to 
  epidemic 
  disease, 
  and 
  

   after 
  reaching 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  years 
  have 
  no 
  important 
  enemy 
  except 
  man. 
  There 
  are 
  few 
  

   animals 
  so 
  resistant 
  to 
  abuse 
  or 
  possessed 
  of 
  as 
  great 
  recuperative 
  powers, 
  but 
  they 
  may 
  be, 
  and 
  

   frequently 
  are, 
  killed 
  by 
  careless 
  shipping 
  or 
  by 
  privations 
  suffered 
  in 
  pens 
  poorly 
  adapted 
  to 
  

   their 
  needs. 
  Under 
  some 
  conditions, 
  probably 
  a 
  general 
  lack 
  of 
  sanitation, 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  necrosis 
  

   of 
  the 
  bone, 
  especially 
  of 
  the 
  plastron, 
  has 
  been 
  noticed. 
  This, 
  if 
  extensive, 
  may 
  cause 
  death, 
  

   but 
  the 
  disease 
  may 
  usually 
  be 
  checked 
  and 
  the 
  recovery 
  of 
  the 
  affected 
  individual 
  assured 
  if 
  

   it 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  clean 
  and 
  not 
  overcrowded 
  pen. 
  

  

  "From 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  terrapins 
  presents 
  

   very 
  Uttle 
  difficulty 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  suitable 
  localities 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  feeding 
  is 
  so 
  small 
  as 
  almost 
  to 
  

   be 
  negligible. 
  If 
  supplies 
  are 
  reasonably 
  close 
  at 
  hand 
  and 
  the 
  pen 
  is 
  well 
  arranged, 
  a 
  man 
  

   should 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  care 
  for 
  several 
  thousands 
  of 
  the 
  animals. 
  

  

  "The 
  Eggs. 
  

  

  "When 
  ready 
  to 
  deposit 
  her 
  eggs 
  the 
  female 
  terrapin 
  selects 
  a 
  suitable 
  location, 
  if 
  one 
  

   can 
  be 
  found, 
  and 
  prepares 
  a 
  'nest' 
  by 
  scooping 
  out 
  a 
  jug-shaped 
  hole 
  with 
  her 
  hind 
  feet. 
  The 
  

   hole 
  is 
  about 
  8 
  inches 
  deep 
  and 
  5 
  or 
  G 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  at 
  the 
  widest 
  part. 
  She 
  then 
  backs 
  

   as 
  far 
  as 
  possible 
  into 
  the 
  hole 
  and 
  drops 
  her 
  eggs. 
  She 
  next 
  carefully 
  replaces 
  the 
  sand 
  or 
  

   earth, 
  packs 
  it 
  down, 
  conceals 
  the 
  spot 
  by 
  crawling 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  over 
  it, 
  and 
  goes 
  away, 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  eggs 
  to 
  their 
  fate. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  she 
  ever 
  revisits 
  the 
  spot 
  

   or 
  takes 
  the 
  sUghtest 
  interest 
  in 
  her 
  offspring 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  hatched. 
  

  

  "In 
  case 
  a 
  suitable 
  nesting 
  place 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  found, 
  the 
  eggs 
  will 
  be 
  dropped 
  wherever 
  

   the 
  terrapin 
  happens 
  to 
  be, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  at 
  Beaufort 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  sand 
  bed 
  becomes 
  

   too 
  dry 
  nests 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  made. 
  This 
  difficulty 
  has 
  been 
  met 
  by 
  sprinkling 
  the 
  egg 
  bed 
  with 
  a 
  

   hose 
  during 
  periods 
  of 
  excessive 
  drought. 
  

  

  "The 
  egg-laying 
  season 
  begins 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  weather 
  becomes 
  warm 
  and 
  lasts 
  for 
  several 
  

   weeks. 
  At 
  Beaufort 
  the 
  earliest 
  date 
  on 
  which 
  laying 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  is 
  May 
  6 
  and 
  the 
  

   latest 
  date 
  July 
  31. 
  It 
  is 
  generally 
  believed 
  that 
  only 
  one 
  set 
  of 
  eggs 
  is 
  deposited 
  in 
  a 
  season, 
  

   but 
  certain 
  observations 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  which 
  support 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  terrapins, 
  

   at 
  least, 
  lay 
  more 
  than 
  once. 
  The 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  nest 
  is 
  8 
  or 
  9 
  ; 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  

  

  