﻿SPOTTED 
  TURTLE. 
  399 
  

  

  The 
  horny 
  nasal 
  tubercle 
  (the 
  function 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  to 
  assist 
  the 
  animal 
  in 
  breaking 
  through 
  

   the 
  egg-shell) 
  disappeared 
  in 
  from 
  seven 
  to 
  ten 
  days. 
  The 
  stump 
  of 
  the 
  cord 
  was 
  visible 
  at 
  

   the 
  umbilicus 
  for 
  about 
  a 
  week. 
  

  

  Habits. 
  — 
  While 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  less 
  aquatic 
  in 
  its 
  habits 
  than 
  Chrysemys 
  pida, 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  

   seen 
  along 
  the 
  water's 
  edge, 
  especially 
  in 
  clumps 
  of 
  water 
  grass 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  fond 
  of 
  sunning 
  

   itself. 
  

  

  "In 
  fresh-water 
  bogs 
  it 
  exhibits 
  a 
  seemingly 
  social 
  spirit. 
  Certain 
  miniature 
  islands 
  of 
  

   bunch 
  grass 
  are 
  matted 
  down 
  by 
  clusters 
  of 
  turtles 
  that 
  go 
  there 
  regularly 
  to 
  bask 
  and 
  an 
  old 
  

   log 
  may 
  be 
  so 
  thickly 
  covered 
  that 
  several 
  turtles 
  have 
  been 
  forced 
  to 
  roost 
  on 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  

   those 
  having 
  secured 
  favorite 
  spots. 
  Thus 
  the 
  Uttle 
  colony 
  takes 
  a 
  bath 
  in 
  the 
  life-giving 
  sun, 
  

   with 
  limbs 
  sprawled 
  out 
  in 
  comical 
  fashion 
  and 
  ever-attentive 
  eyes 
  on 
  the 
  lookout 
  for 
  danger. 
  

   Ludicrous 
  results 
  follow 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  the 
  human 
  observer, 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  panicky 
  scramble 
  

   for 
  the 
  water, 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  splashes, 
  then 
  a 
  desolate 
  log 
  \\'ithout 
  sign 
  of 
  life" 
  (Ditmars, 
  1910). 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  active 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  from 
  March 
  until 
  November. 
  During 
  the 
  late 
  summer 
  and 
  fall 
  

   the 
  males 
  are 
  less 
  in 
  evidence 
  than 
  the 
  females. 
  This 
  turtle 
  is 
  hardy 
  in 
  captivity 
  and 
  seems 
  

   less 
  timid 
  and 
  wary 
  than 
  the 
  more 
  strictly 
  aquatic 
  forms. 
  My 
  specimens 
  preferred 
  to 
  sleep 
  

   out 
  of 
  water. 
  They 
  never 
  snap. 
  

  

  Yerkes 
  (1901) 
  used 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  habits 
  in 
  the 
  turtle. 
  The 
  

   habit 
  studied 
  was 
  the 
  finding 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  through 
  a 
  labyrinth 
  to 
  a 
  nest. 
  He 
  found 
  that 
  "the 
  

   turtle 
  profited 
  by 
  experience 
  and 
  that 
  very 
  rapidly," 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  remarkably 
  little 
  aimless 
  

   wandering, 
  and 
  he 
  believes 
  that 
  smell 
  and 
  sight 
  are 
  important 
  elements 
  in 
  associative 
  reactions 
  

   of 
  lower 
  animals. 
  His 
  explanation 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  " 
  The 
  wandering 
  impulse 
  led 
  by 
  chance 
  to 
  the 
  

   finding 
  of 
  satisfaction, 
  the 
  action 
  was 
  impressed 
  on 
  the 
  vital 
  mechanism, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   tendency 
  (the 
  beginning 
  of 
  a 
  habit) 
  toward 
  repetition 
  of 
  it. 
  Had 
  the 
  action 
  failed 
  to 
  give 
  

   satisfaction, 
  the 
  probability 
  of 
  its 
  being 
  repeated 
  w^ould 
  have 
  been 
  merely 
  that 
  of 
  chance, 
  and 
  

   not 
  chance 
  plus 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  pleasiu-e-giving 
  acti-\aty. 
  The 
  turtle 
  happened 
  to 
  

   crawl 
  over 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  incUne, 
  and, 
  finding 
  that 
  this 
  enabled 
  it 
  to 
  get 
  to 
  the 
  nest 
  quicker, 
  

   it 
  continued 
  the 
  act, 
  thus 
  forming 
  a 
  habit." 
  

  

  Food 
  Habits. 
  — 
  The 
  Spotted 
  Turtle 
  feeds 
  on 
  insects, 
  worms, 
  larvae, 
  small 
  mollusks, 
  tad- 
  

   poles, 
  etc., 
  and 
  in 
  captivity 
  will 
  eat 
  chopped 
  fish 
  and 
  occasionally 
  vegetable 
  matter. 
  In 
  ex- 
  

   amining 
  the 
  stomach 
  contents 
  of 
  twenty-seven 
  individuals 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  Surface 
  found: 
  

   leaves, 
  seeds, 
  grass, 
  worms, 
  slugs, 
  snails, 
  crayfish, 
  millipedes, 
  spiders, 
  dragon-flies, 
  bugs, 
  butter- 
  

   flies, 
  moths, 
  flies, 
  beetles, 
  saw-fUes 
  and 
  other 
  insects. 
  Holbrook 
  (1842, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  83) 
  states 
  

   that 
  "it 
  takes 
  to 
  land 
  frequently 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food." 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  it 
  eating, 
  however, 
  

   except 
  while 
  under 
  water. 
  

  

  Enemies. 
  — 
  Burroughs 
  ^ 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  fearfulness 
  of 
  this 
  tm-tle 
  and 
  cannot 
  understand 
  

  

  ' 
  Burroughs, 
  John. 
  Squirrels 
  and 
  other 
  fur-bearers, 
  1875, 
  p. 
  138. 
  

  

  