﻿414 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  varies 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  eight 
  ; 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  eight 
  eggs 
  laid 
  -n-ithin 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  ; 
  

   that 
  a 
  southern 
  exposure 
  was 
  usually 
  chosen 
  for 
  the 
  nest 
  ; 
  that 
  the 
  hole 
  was 
  about 
  three 
  inches 
  

   deep 
  and 
  two 
  inches 
  wide, 
  being 
  dug 
  very' 
  slowly 
  (over 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  six 
  to 
  fourteen 
  hoiu-s) 
  with 
  

   the 
  hind 
  legs; 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited 
  either 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  or 
  night 
  (but 
  chiefly 
  the 
  

   former) 
  ; 
  that 
  each 
  egg 
  was 
  adjusted 
  and 
  covered 
  separateh' 
  by 
  the 
  hind 
  foot 
  ; 
  that 
  the 
  nest 
  

   was 
  smoothed 
  over 
  with 
  the 
  body; 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  incubation 
  period 
  was 
  about 
  three 
  months. 
  

   (These 
  obser^-ations 
  were 
  made 
  at 
  Philadelphia, 
  Pa.) 
  He 
  also 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  mating 
  season 
  

   begins 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  hibernation 
  is 
  ended 
  (April), 
  the 
  males 
  maltreating 
  the 
  females 
  

   and 
  other 
  males. 
  "They 
  [males] 
  raise 
  themselves 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  possible 
  and 
  lunge, 
  bite, 
  and 
  snap." 
  

   There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  season 
  of 
  fall 
  mating 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  spring 
  mating. 
  Yery 
  young 
  specimens 
  are 
  

   rarely 
  found 
  in 
  their 
  wild 
  state. 
  

  

  Habits. 
  — 
  Many 
  naturalists 
  have 
  considered 
  the 
  Box 
  Tortoise 
  strictly 
  terrestrial 
  in 
  its 
  

   habits. 
  This 
  is 
  true 
  in 
  the 
  main, 
  as 
  the 
  reptile 
  spends 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  during 
  its 
  active 
  season 
  

   in 
  wandering 
  about 
  in 
  dry 
  woods 
  and 
  pastures. 
  Young 
  animals, 
  however, 
  are 
  more 
  aquatic 
  

   in 
  then- 
  habits 
  than 
  adults. 
  Its 
  movements 
  are 
  slow 
  and 
  deliberate 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  tn.ie 
  land 
  

   tortoises. 
  John 
  Burroughs 
  remarks 
  that 
  it 
  shows 
  "scarcely 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  fear." 
  'WTien 
  first 
  

   picked 
  up, 
  however, 
  it 
  closes 
  its 
  shell 
  tightly 
  and 
  remains 
  in 
  that 
  condition 
  sometimes 
  for 
  an 
  

   hour 
  or 
  more. 
  It 
  is 
  especially 
  active 
  during 
  and 
  immediately 
  after 
  warm 
  rains. 
  Recently 
  

   several 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  aquatic 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  turtle 
  have 
  been 
  published. 
  Overton 
  (1916) 
  has 
  

   seen 
  specimens 
  swimming 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  (on 
  Long 
  Island) 
  or 
  "resting 
  in 
  the 
  shallows 
  with 
  only 
  

   the 
  head 
  protruding 
  above 
  the 
  surface." 
  He 
  says 
  that 
  when 
  alarmed 
  they 
  often 
  leave 
  the 
  land 
  

   and 
  enter 
  the 
  water 
  voluntarily, 
  and 
  for 
  ease 
  and 
  rapidity 
  of 
  swimming 
  they 
  compare 
  favorably 
  

   with 
  Chrysemys 
  picia. 
  Culver 
  (1915) 
  thus 
  describes 
  the 
  actions 
  of 
  a 
  Box 
  Tortoise 
  which 
  he 
  

   saw 
  swimming 
  in 
  Darby 
  Creek 
  near 
  Addingham, 
  Pennsylvania: 
  "It 
  swam 
  ver\' 
  slowiy 
  and 
  

   laborioush', 
  only 
  the 
  highest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  carapace 
  and 
  the 
  head, 
  from 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  eyes, 
  

   projecting 
  above 
  the 
  siu-face 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  As 
  it 
  moved 
  along, 
  it 
  bobbed 
  up 
  and 
  down. 
  .After 
  

   much 
  effort, 
  when 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  landing 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  shore, 
  it 
  stopped 
  to 
  rest 
  a 
  second 
  

   or 
  so, 
  floating 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  down 
  stream, 
  when 
  it 
  resumed 
  its 
  movements 
  towards 
  the 
  bank. 
  

   Close 
  to 
  the 
  bank 
  it 
  stopped 
  paddling, 
  floated 
  gently 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  mud, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  moments' 
  

   rest, 
  crawled 
  slowly 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  muddy 
  shore, 
  stopping 
  again 
  for 
  a 
  rest. 
  Five 
  or 
  ten 
  minutes 
  

   later 
  it 
  w'as 
  still 
  resting 
  in 
  the 
  sun." 
  The 
  distance 
  covered 
  was 
  fifteen 
  or 
  twenty 
  yards. 
  

   Engelhardt 
  (1916) 
  in 
  writing 
  of 
  the 
  burrowing 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  Box 
  Tortoise 
  says 
  that 
  this 
  species, 
  

   dvu-ing 
  hot 
  summer 
  weather 
  has 
  periods 
  of 
  aestivation. 
  During 
  such 
  times 
  he 
  has 
  foimd 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  bmied 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  six 
  to 
  ten 
  inches 
  in 
  mud 
  bordering 
  a 
  pool. 
  He 
  thinks 
  they 
  stay 
  

   for 
  weeks, 
  since 
  the 
  entrance 
  holes 
  of 
  the 
  burrows 
  were 
  almost 
  closed 
  through 
  sagging, 
  followed 
  

   by 
  di-^ing 
  of 
  the 
  mud; 
  and 
  the 
  turtles 
  could 
  not 
  escape 
  from 
  these 
  burrows 
  except 
  by 
  break- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  crust 
  of 
  mud. 
  Latham 
  (1916) 
  writes 
  in 
  this 
  connection: 
  "One 
  quite 
  remarkable 
  

  

  