﻿406 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  Food 
  Habits. 
  — 
  This 
  Chelonian 
  is 
  omnivorous, 
  although 
  showing 
  a 
  distinct 
  partiality 
  for 
  

   vegetable 
  food, 
  especially 
  berries 
  (strawberries, 
  blackberries, 
  and 
  blueberries) 
  during 
  warm 
  

   weather 
  while 
  Uving 
  on 
  land. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  various 
  kinds 
  of 
  vegetation, 
  

   such 
  as 
  leaves, 
  scapes 
  of 
  dandelion 
  (Taraxacum 
  densleonis) 
  , 
  fruit 
  of 
  the 
  low 
  field 
  blackberry, 
  

   sorrel, 
  leaves 
  of 
  early 
  potentillas; 
  also 
  insects, 
  and 
  insect 
  larvae. 
  Thoreau 
  found 
  the 
  paunch 
  

   of 
  one 
  specimen 
  to 
  contain 
  "much 
  vegetable 
  matter, 
  old 
  cranberry 
  leaves, 
  etc." 
  Surface 
  

   found 
  the 
  stomach 
  contents 
  of 
  twenty-six 
  individuals 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  to 
  include: 
  mushrooms, 
  

   moss, 
  grass, 
  seeds 
  of 
  blackberry, 
  strawberry, 
  and 
  apple, 
  clover, 
  black 
  alder 
  seeds, 
  fox 
  grapes, 
  

   nightshade 
  berries, 
  turtle-head 
  seeds, 
  plantain, 
  partridge 
  berries, 
  elderberries, 
  earthworms, 
  slugs, 
  

   snails, 
  crayfish, 
  millipedes, 
  insects, 
  bugs, 
  moths, 
  flies, 
  beetles, 
  saw-fiies, 
  ants, 
  and 
  fragments 
  of 
  

   birds. 
  A 
  captive 
  of 
  mine 
  ate 
  nine 
  strawberries 
  at 
  one 
  meal. 
  These 
  were 
  held 
  with 
  the 
  fore 
  feet, 
  

   while 
  being 
  bitten 
  and 
  torn 
  apart. 
  The 
  same 
  is 
  done 
  with 
  small 
  fish 
  (horn-pout) 
  after 
  they 
  

   have 
  been 
  killed 
  by 
  biting 
  the 
  head. 
  The 
  turtle 
  apparently 
  cannot 
  see 
  directly 
  ahead, 
  for 
  it 
  

   always 
  arches 
  its 
  neck 
  and 
  turns 
  its 
  head 
  to 
  one 
  side 
  before 
  striking 
  at 
  food 
  placed 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  

   it. 
  Shufeldt 
  describes 
  the 
  actions 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  his 
  captive 
  individuals 
  in 
  begging 
  for 
  food. 
  He 
  

   says 
  it 
  stood 
  on 
  three 
  legs 
  and 
  waved 
  the 
  fourth, 
  or 
  walked 
  around 
  in 
  a 
  circle 
  a 
  yard 
  or 
  so 
  in 
  

   diameter. 
  This 
  turtle 
  is 
  easily 
  tamed 
  and 
  will 
  take 
  food 
  from 
  one's 
  fingers. 
  As 
  cold 
  weather 
  

   approaches 
  it 
  refuses 
  food 
  and 
  if 
  not 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  suitable 
  environment 
  for 
  hibernation, 
  will 
  

   not 
  survive 
  the 
  winter 
  months. 
  

  

  Enemies. 
  — 
  Thoreau 
  once 
  found 
  a 
  Sculptured 
  Tortoise 
  on 
  its 
  back, 
  while 
  a 
  hawk 
  or 
  crow 
  

   was 
  making 
  rapidly 
  off. 
  There 
  were 
  tracks 
  all 
  about 
  and 
  the 
  tm-tle's 
  extremities 
  were 
  drawn 
  

   closely 
  in. 
  He 
  thinks 
  the 
  turtle 
  was 
  being 
  picked 
  at. 
  He 
  has 
  also 
  observed 
  a 
  skunk 
  robbing 
  

   a 
  nest. 
  A 
  young 
  Wood 
  Tortoise 
  about 
  two 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  stomach 
  of 
  a 
  

   large-mouthed 
  black 
  bass 
  (Surface). 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  sometimes 
  infested 
  with 
  a 
  leech 
  (Clep- 
  

   sine 
  scabra). 
  

  

  Economic 
  Importance. 
  — 
  The 
  flesh 
  of 
  this 
  turtle 
  is 
  edible 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  districts 
  considerable 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  are 
  collected 
  to 
  be 
  sold 
  for 
  food. 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  has 
  found 
  it 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  pass 
  a 
  law 
  for 
  their 
  protection. 
  

  

  