﻿422 
  BABCOCK: 
  NEW 
  ENGLAND 
  TURTLES. 
  

  

  at 
  the 
  entrance, 
  with 
  the 
  depth 
  and 
  width 
  inside 
  about 
  4 
  inches 
  or 
  more. 
  When 
  the 
  digging 
  

   is 
  finished 
  eggs 
  are 
  dropped 
  from 
  the 
  cloaca 
  into 
  the 
  hole, 
  which 
  naturally 
  lies 
  just 
  below 
  it. 
  

   The 
  eggs 
  are 
  heaped 
  up 
  without 
  any 
  order, 
  but, 
  there 
  being 
  no 
  chalazae, 
  the 
  yolk 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  

   rotate 
  in 
  any 
  direction, 
  and 
  the 
  blastoderm, 
  having 
  the 
  least 
  specific 
  gravity, 
  always 
  occupies 
  

   the 
  highest 
  spot 
  of 
  the 
  yolk 
  in 
  whatever 
  position 
  the 
  egg 
  may 
  happen 
  to 
  be 
  dropped 
  

  

  "When 
  the 
  eggs 
  have 
  all 
  been 
  deposited, 
  the 
  turtle's 
  legs 
  are 
  again 
  put 
  in 
  requisition, 
  this 
  

   time 
  to 
  fill 
  up 
  the 
  hole, 
  which 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  alternate 
  motions 
  as 
  before. 
  The 
  earth 
  about 
  the 
  

   hole 
  is 
  used 
  at 
  first, 
  but 
  search 
  is 
  made 
  for 
  more 
  loose 
  earth 
  for 
  a 
  little 
  distance, 
  as 
  far 
  around 
  

   as 
  the 
  legs 
  can 
  reach 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  motion 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  either 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  or 
  left 
  without 
  moving 
  

   the 
  front 
  legs. 
  Toward 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  process 
  the 
  loose 
  earth 
  is 
  trampled 
  down. 
  When 
  the 
  

   hole 
  is 
  well 
  filled 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  the 
  turtle 
  turns 
  around 
  and 
  goes 
  immediately 
  

   down 
  into 
  the 
  water, 
  not 
  casting 
  even 
  one 
  backward 
  glance. 
  

  

  "I 
  have 
  noticed 
  an 
  interesting 
  contrast 
  between 
  the 
  behavior 
  of 
  Trionyx 
  and 
  of 
  Clemmys 
  

   dming 
  the 
  egg 
  deposition. 
  If 
  one 
  wants 
  to 
  watch 
  a 
  Trionyx 
  depositing 
  eggs, 
  one 
  has 
  to 
  crawl 
  

   on 
  all 
  fours 
  behind 
  the 
  plank 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  and 
  peep 
  through 
  a 
  hole, 
  being 
  careful 
  not 
  to 
  

   show 
  himself. 
  The 
  moment 
  the 
  snapping 
  turtle 
  sees 
  anyone, 
  it 
  stops 
  in 
  whatever 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   egg-laying 
  process 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  engaged 
  and 
  plunges 
  straight 
  into 
  the 
  water. 
  Utterly 
  different 
  

   is 
  the 
  behaviour 
  of 
  Clemmys. 
  When 
  once 
  it 
  begins 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  egg-laying 
  it 
  is 
  never 
  deterred 
  

   from 
  carrying 
  it 
  out, 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  near 
  or 
  how 
  boldly 
  one 
  may 
  approach." 
  

  

  He 
  gives 
  the 
  following 
  table 
  of 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  growth 
  for 
  this 
  species: 
  — 
  

  

  Length 
  in 
  Breadth 
  in 
  Weight 
  in 
  

  

  Age 
  Centimeters 
  Centimeters 
  Grams 
  ' 
  

  

  Just 
  hatched 
  2.7 
  2.5 
  

  

  First 
  year 
  4.5 
  4.2 
  23 
  

  

  Second 
  year 
  10.5 
  8.8 
  169 
  

  

  Third 
  year 
  12.5 
  10.5 
  300 
  

  

  . 
  Fourth 
  year 
  16.0 
  13.5 
  563 
  

  

  Fifth 
  year 
  17.5 
  15.1 
  750 
  

  

  Habits. 
  — 
  This 
  turtle 
  is 
  largely 
  aquatic, 
  probably 
  never 
  leaving 
  the 
  water 
  except 
  to 
  deposit 
  

   its 
  eggs. 
  Its 
  savage 
  disposition 
  has 
  earned 
  for 
  it 
  in 
  some 
  localities 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Soft-shelled 
  

   Snapping 
  Tvu"tle. 
  An 
  amusing 
  example 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  here 
  given, 
  that 
  occurred 
  somewhere 
  in 
  

   "Lower 
  Canada" 
  in 
  1648: 
  ^ 
  "A 
  Frenchman 
  caught 
  one 
  of 
  considerable 
  size, 
  which 
  he 
  thought 
  

   he 
  had 
  killed 
  with 
  a 
  club; 
  he 
  tied 
  a 
  string 
  to 
  its 
  tail, 
  and 
  thi-ew 
  it 
  over 
  his 
  shoulder. 
  When 
  

   the 
  animal, 
  which 
  is 
  rather 
  tenacious 
  of 
  hfe, 
  recovered 
  from 
  the 
  stupor 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  blows 
  

   discharged 
  on 
  its 
  head, 
  it 
  seized 
  its 
  foe 
  by 
  the 
  back 
  with 
  its 
  small 
  jaws, 
  and 
  bit 
  him 
  so 
  hard 
  

   that 
  he 
  yelled 
  with 
  pain. 
  He 
  dropped 
  the 
  cord, 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  tortoise 
  to 
  fall; 
  but 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  

  

  ' 
  Jesuit 
  Relations, 
  edited 
  by 
  G. 
  Thwaites, 
  1901, 
  vol. 
  33, 
  p. 
  47. 
  

  

  