﻿392 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  12 
  or 
  even 
  15 
  or 
  16 
  have 
  been 
  found, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  these 
  large 
  numbers 
  are 
  the 
  product 
  

   of 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  female. 
  

  

  "Under 
  natural 
  conditions 
  the 
  nests 
  of 
  the 
  diamond-back 
  terrapins 
  are 
  so 
  Avidely 
  scat- 
  

   tered 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  Uttle 
  or 
  no 
  danger 
  of 
  one 
  individual 
  interfering 
  with 
  another, 
  but 
  when 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  confined 
  together 
  in 
  a 
  pen 
  the 
  possibihty 
  of 
  this 
  should 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  

   mind. 
  At 
  Beaufort 
  a 
  few 
  eggs 
  are 
  lost 
  each 
  season 
  from 
  this 
  cause, 
  and 
  it 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  prevented 
  

   except 
  by 
  keeping 
  a 
  continual 
  watch 
  over 
  the 
  egg 
  bed 
  and 
  throwing 
  some 
  protection 
  about 
  each 
  

   nest 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  female 
  has 
  left 
  it. 
  As 
  such 
  care 
  is 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question, 
  the 
  loss 
  is 
  minimized 
  

   by 
  making 
  the 
  egg 
  bed 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  possible. 
  

  

  "After 
  the 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  laid 
  they 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  disturbed. 
  Under 
  some 
  conditions 
  

   terrapm 
  eggs 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  injured 
  by 
  being 
  moved 
  from 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  even 
  shipped 
  considerable 
  

   distances. 
  Usually, 
  however, 
  the 
  most 
  careful 
  handhng 
  has 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  reducing 
  the 
  percent- 
  

   age 
  of 
  the 
  hatch 
  50 
  or 
  even 
  75 
  per 
  cent. 
  It 
  cannot 
  be 
  regarded, 
  therefore, 
  as 
  good 
  practice 
  

   to 
  dig 
  up 
  the 
  eggs 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  removing 
  them 
  to 
  some 
  other 
  place 
  for 
  hatching. 
  The 
  

   nests 
  should 
  be 
  carefully 
  protected 
  from 
  depredations 
  by 
  rats 
  and 
  other 
  vermin, 
  and 
  trampUng 
  

   over 
  the 
  egg 
  bed 
  by 
  the 
  keeper 
  or 
  by 
  inquisitive 
  visitors 
  should 
  be 
  avoided. 
  

  

  "If 
  the 
  egg 
  bed 
  is 
  properly 
  constructed, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  danger 
  of 
  injury 
  from 
  excessive 
  moist- 
  

   ure, 
  as 
  the 
  rain 
  water 
  ^\ill 
  drain 
  away 
  through 
  the 
  sand 
  very 
  quickly. 
  There 
  is 
  rain 
  enough 
  

   in 
  ordinary 
  seasons, 
  also, 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  damage 
  that 
  may 
  come 
  from 
  excessive 
  drought. 
  

  

  "In 
  excessively 
  hot 
  and 
  dry 
  weather 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  practice 
  at 
  Beaufort 
  to 
  throw 
  a 
  light 
  

   covering 
  of 
  leafy 
  brush 
  on 
  the 
  beds, 
  but 
  the 
  purpose 
  has 
  been 
  to 
  afford 
  some 
  protection 
  to 
  the 
  

   newly 
  hatched 
  young 
  ones 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  eggs. 
  To 
  this 
  same 
  end 
  no 
  particular 
  effort 
  is 
  

   made 
  to 
  eradicate 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  marsh 
  grass 
  which 
  springs 
  up, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   the 
  sharp-pointed 
  underground 
  stems 
  of 
  this 
  plant 
  sometimes 
  puncture 
  a 
  few 
  eggs. 
  

  

  "If 
  rats 
  are 
  nimierous 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  inclosure 
  they 
  may 
  cause 
  considerable 
  loss 
  

   by 
  digging 
  up 
  the 
  nests 
  and 
  eating 
  the 
  eggs 
  or 
  the 
  newly 
  hatched 
  young 
  ones. 
  The 
  holes 
  they 
  

   dig 
  are 
  easily 
  seen, 
  and 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  poisoned 
  bait 
  scattered 
  about 
  outside 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  pen 
  

   and 
  traps, 
  set 
  at 
  suitable 
  places, 
  will 
  usually 
  control 
  the 
  nuisance. 
  

  

  "The 
  great 
  danger 
  in 
  most 
  locaUties 
  is 
  an 
  unusually 
  high 
  tide 
  that 
  may 
  flood 
  the 
  bed 
  

   and 
  keep 
  the 
  eggs 
  covered 
  with 
  water 
  for 
  several 
  days. 
  The 
  effect 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  protracted 
  immer- 
  

   sion 
  may 
  be 
  most 
  disastrous, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  preventive 
  is 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  laying 
  bed 
  is 
  made 
  right 
  

   in 
  the 
  beginning. 
  

  

  "As 
  soon 
  as 
  practicable 
  after 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  laying 
  season 
  the 
  adult 
  terrapins 
  should 
  be 
  

   kept 
  off 
  the 
  egg 
  bed. 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  done 
  conveniently 
  by 
  setting 
  a 
  plank 
  on 
  edge 
  along 
  the 
  

   front 
  of 
  the 
  bed. 
  The 
  top 
  of 
  this 
  plank, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  all 
  the 
  fences 
  surrounding 
  the 
  egg 
  bed, 
  

   should 
  have 
  a 
  projecting 
  cap 
  board 
  about 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  inches 
  mde 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  young 
  terrapins 
  

   from 
  leaving 
  the 
  egg 
  bed. 
  The 
  time 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  eggs 
  to 
  hatch 
  varies 
  slightly 
  with 
  the 
  

   season, 
  but 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  average 
  about 
  eight 
  or 
  nine 
  weeks. 
  

  

  