﻿BOX 
  TORTOISE. 
  415 
  

  

  occurrence 
  was 
  in 
  August, 
  1909, 
  at 
  East 
  ]Marion 
  [Long 
  Island, 
  N. 
  Y.]. 
  In 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  a 
  drj^ 
  

   woods 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  depression 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  had 
  recently 
  evaporated, 
  Iea\dng 
  a 
  deep 
  oozy 
  

   mire. 
  In 
  and 
  around 
  this 
  sink 
  I 
  counted 
  between 
  sixty 
  and 
  seventy 
  of 
  these 
  turtles. 
  More 
  

   than 
  'half 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  partly 
  or 
  entirely 
  submerged 
  in 
  the 
  mud. 
  Specimens 
  were 
  poked 
  out 
  

   that 
  were 
  buried 
  near 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  depth. 
  Circling 
  around 
  the 
  hole 
  at 
  varying 
  distances 
  I 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  numbers 
  of 
  others 
  working 
  toward 
  it 
  from 
  all 
  directions. 
  The 
  most 
  surprising 
  thing 
  

   to 
  me 
  was 
  the 
  speed 
  that 
  the 
  more 
  distant 
  ones 
  were 
  traveling. 
  It 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  an 
  uncommon 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  Box 
  Tortoise 
  hurry, 
  but 
  was 
  new 
  to 
  me, 
  for 
  these 
  outsiders 
  were 
  movang 
  on 
  at 
  

   the 
  gait 
  of 
  a 
  fast 
  walk. 
  This 
  was 
  a 
  gathering 
  of 
  tortoises 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  witnessed 
  before 
  

   or 
  since. 
  

  

  "Cistudo 
  also 
  frequently 
  enters 
  salt 
  water 
  near 
  Orient. 
  L>ing 
  between 
  a 
  sandy 
  cedar- 
  

   grown 
  beach 
  and 
  the 
  mainland 
  of 
  Orient 
  is 
  a 
  bay 
  one 
  mile 
  wide. 
  I 
  have 
  on 
  several 
  occasions 
  

   found 
  these 
  turtles 
  midway 
  across, 
  always 
  swimming 
  leisurely 
  toward 
  the 
  mainland. 
  It 
  seems 
  

   evident 
  that 
  they 
  enter 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  free 
  -n-ill, 
  as 
  the 
  beach 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  is 
  flat 
  and 
  no 
  

   creeks 
  rimning 
  out. 
  

  

  "While 
  off 
  on 
  the 
  fishiog 
  ledges 
  on 
  the 
  sound 
  I 
  have 
  on 
  two 
  occasions 
  seen 
  this 
  species 
  

   more 
  than 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  land. 
  Although 
  both 
  these 
  specimens 
  were 
  s'ndmming 
  toward 
  the 
  

   Orient 
  hills 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  they 
  were 
  being 
  carried 
  rapidly 
  east 
  or 
  west 
  with 
  the 
  strongly 
  flowing 
  

   tide. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  where 
  these 
  specimens 
  came 
  from, 
  whether 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  inlet 
  fifteen 
  

   miles 
  west, 
  or 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  rivers. 
  It 
  is 
  improbable 
  that 
  thej^ 
  entered 
  the 
  water 
  near 
  

   Orient." 
  The 
  same 
  writer 
  (1917) 
  thus 
  describes 
  the 
  actions 
  of 
  a 
  captured 
  specimen 
  on 
  another 
  

   occasion: 
  "Placing 
  the 
  animal 
  on 
  the 
  sand 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  clearing, 
  I 
  rechned 
  under 
  a 
  shrub 
  oak 
  to 
  

   study 
  procedure. 
  Shortly 
  the 
  splendid 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  were 
  erected 
  and 
  held 
  in 
  a 
  steady 
  gaze. 
  

   Presently 
  a 
  rusthng 
  was 
  heard 
  among 
  the 
  dry 
  leaves 
  to 
  one 
  side, 
  which 
  graduallj^ 
  drew 
  nearer. 
  

   Finally 
  the 
  upstretched 
  neck 
  and 
  shell 
  of 
  a 
  smaller 
  male 
  box 
  turtle 
  appeared 
  in 
  view 
  at 
  the 
  

   margin 
  of 
  the 
  clearing 
  12 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  powerful 
  specimen, 
  which 
  had 
  remained 
  absolutely 
  

   motionless, 
  but 
  staring 
  intensely 
  at 
  the 
  new 
  arrival. 
  The 
  small 
  one 
  advanced 
  4 
  feet, 
  then 
  

   paused, 
  then 
  another 
  4 
  feet 
  ventm-e 
  and 
  another 
  pause. 
  At 
  the 
  last 
  pause, 
  which 
  was 
  4 
  feet 
  

   from 
  the 
  first 
  indi\ndual, 
  the 
  big 
  fellow 
  suddenly 
  rushed 
  at 
  the 
  new-comer 
  with 
  open 
  mouth 
  

   and 
  grabbed 
  it 
  by 
  the 
  nape 
  with 
  such 
  force 
  as 
  to 
  roU 
  it 
  over 
  on 
  the 
  side. 
  It 
  held 
  the 
  head 
  to 
  

   the 
  groimd 
  for 
  about 
  2 
  minutes, 
  while 
  the 
  victim 
  struggled 
  unsuccessfully 
  to 
  draw- 
  its 
  head 
  

   within 
  the 
  shell. 
  Releasing 
  its 
  hold, 
  it 
  actualh' 
  chmbed 
  over 
  the 
  conquered 
  foe 
  and 
  walked 
  

   rapidly 
  away. 
  It 
  had 
  traveled 
  10 
  feet 
  when 
  the 
  small 
  one 
  himied 
  directly 
  after 
  it. 
  The 
  

   leader 
  paused 
  every 
  few 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  \isual 
  manner, 
  but 
  the 
  other 
  continued 
  without 
  halting 
  tiU 
  

   it 
  was 
  2 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  rear. 
  Thereafter 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  alert 
  and 
  copied 
  perfectly 
  every 
  start 
  and 
  

   pause 
  of 
  the 
  leader, 
  which, 
  e\ddently, 
  was 
  in 
  ignorance 
  of 
  its 
  shadower. 
  I 
  watched 
  this 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  bit 
  of 
  wild 
  life 
  for 
  60 
  feet, 
  when 
  the 
  head 
  animal 
  disappeared 
  into 
  thick 
  cover, 
  lea\ing 
  

  

  