﻿396 
  BABCOCK: 
  x\EW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  and 
  the 
  females 
  begin 
  to 
  show 
  increased 
  growth. 
  By 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  this 
  season 
  the 
  females 
  will 
  

   average 
  about 
  4| 
  inches 
  long, 
  while 
  the 
  males 
  will 
  average 
  about 
  3f 
  inches 
  long. 
  During 
  this 
  

   summer, 
  therefore, 
  the 
  males 
  add 
  on 
  the 
  average 
  (assuming 
  they 
  were 
  of 
  average 
  size 
  to 
  begin 
  

   with) 
  about 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  to 
  their 
  length, 
  while 
  the 
  females 
  add 
  about 
  I5 
  inches. 
  

  

  "At 
  Beaufort 
  the 
  experimental 
  work 
  stops 
  at 
  this 
  point, 
  as 
  the 
  oldest 
  brood 
  of 
  terrapins 
  

   hatched 
  in 
  the 
  pound 
  is 
  only 
  3 
  years 
  old. 
  It 
  seems 
  probable, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  females 
  will 
  

   continue 
  to 
  grow 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  rate 
  indicated 
  until 
  maturity 
  is 
  reached, 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  breeder 
  of 
  

   the 
  animals 
  might 
  with 
  some 
  confidence 
  expect 
  a 
  few 
  salable 
  individuals 
  among 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  four 
  years, 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fifth 
  year. 
  The 
  males, 
  as 
  is 
  well 
  

   known, 
  are 
  of 
  Uttle 
  value 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  gotten 
  rid 
  of 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  positively 
  identified. 
  

  

  "The 
  death 
  rate 
  among 
  the 
  young 
  terrapins 
  in 
  the 
  pounds 
  at 
  Beaufort 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  

   small, 
  averaging 
  perhaps 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  per 
  cent. 
  They 
  have, 
  however, 
  received 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  care 
  and 
  a 
  

   beginner 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  should 
  not 
  expect 
  so 
  good 
  a 
  result 
  until 
  he 
  has 
  become 
  accustomed 
  to 
  

   handUng 
  the 
  animals. 
  

  

  "The 
  proportion 
  of 
  males 
  to 
  females 
  among 
  the 
  newly 
  hatched 
  young 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  It 
  

   is 
  beUeved 
  that 
  males 
  and 
  females 
  are 
  present 
  in 
  about 
  equal 
  numbers, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  small 
  brood 
  

   of 
  1909, 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  sexes 
  can 
  be 
  distinguished, 
  there 
  are 
  8 
  males 
  and 
  4 
  females. 
  

   Among 
  the 
  adult 
  terrapins 
  the 
  males 
  do 
  not 
  so 
  greatly 
  exceed 
  the 
  females, 
  so 
  the 
  brood 
  just 
  

   mentioned 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  fair 
  sample." 
  

  

  Regarding 
  the 
  outlook 
  for 
  the 
  terrapin 
  industry, 
  Coker 
  states: 
  "The 
  terrapin 
  has 
  not 
  

   the 
  power 
  to 
  regain 
  its 
  hold 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  years, 
  as 
  the 
  oyster 
  or 
  the 
  clam 
  might 
  do. 
  Each 
  

   female 
  lays 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  eggs 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  that 
  hatch 
  from 
  them 
  undergo 
  many 
  perils. 
  Those 
  

   that 
  survive 
  the 
  dangers 
  of 
  early 
  Ufe 
  are 
  slow 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  stage 
  where 
  they 
  may 
  start 
  another 
  

   generation, 
  and 
  before 
  reaching 
  this 
  stage 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  captured 
  and 
  sold 
  at 
  a 
  small 
  price. 
  

  

  "The 
  terrapin 
  gets 
  no 
  opportunity 
  to 
  re-establish 
  itself. 
  Though 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  so 
  scarce 
  

   that 
  it 
  rarely 
  pays 
  to 
  hunt 
  them, 
  yet 
  the 
  market 
  value 
  is 
  such 
  that 
  no 
  chance 
  individual 
  observed 
  

   will 
  be 
  passed 
  by. 
  In 
  the 
  exhaustive 
  search 
  of 
  our 
  waters 
  for 
  clams, 
  oysters, 
  crabs, 
  and 
  fish, 
  

   individuals 
  are 
  not 
  infrequently 
  found, 
  and 
  thus 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  extermination 
  proceeds 
  without 
  

   check. 
  

  

  "Exhaustion 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  is 
  inevitable, 
  unless 
  some 
  legislative 
  provision 
  be 
  made 
  for 
  

   its 
  preservation. 
  

  

  "Only 
  two 
  methods 
  of 
  protection 
  suggest 
  themselves. 
  The 
  one 
  is 
  propagation; 
  the 
  other, 
  

   effective 
  restriction 
  of 
  the 
  fishery." 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  law 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  this 
  terrapin. 
  

  

  