﻿SPINY 
  SOFT-SHELLED 
  TURTLE. 
  423 
  

  

  loosen 
  its 
  hold, 
  and 
  remained 
  suspended 
  by 
  its 
  teeth, 
  biting 
  harder 
  and 
  harder, 
  without 
  letting 
  

   go; 
  finally 
  its 
  head 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  cut 
  off, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  appease 
  its 
  anger." 
  

  

  Another 
  instance 
  is 
  recorded 
  by 
  DeKay 
  (1842), 
  who 
  says: 
  "Dr. 
  Eights 
  .... 
  asserts 
  that 
  

   he 
  saw 
  a 
  large 
  one 
  from 
  Cayuga 
  lake 
  dart 
  out 
  its 
  head 
  ferociously 
  at 
  a 
  dog 
  wliich 
  had 
  been 
  

   purposely 
  brought 
  near, 
  and 
  take 
  from 
  its 
  side 
  a 
  mouthful 
  of 
  hair 
  in 
  the 
  attempt." 
  

  

  Agassiz 
  (1857, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  333) 
  writes: 
  "The 
  principal 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  

   is 
  the 
  muddy 
  bottom 
  of 
  shallow 
  waters. 
  They 
  bury 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  soft 
  mud, 
  leaving 
  only 
  

   the 
  head, 
  or 
  a 
  small 
  part 
  of 
  it, 
  exposed. 
  They 
  take 
  breath 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  without 
  moving 
  

   the 
  body, 
  by 
  raising 
  up 
  the 
  long 
  neck 
  and 
  head 
  and 
  carrying 
  the 
  leathery 
  snout 
  above 
  water. 
  

   They 
  sometimes 
  stay 
  under 
  water 
  a 
  long 
  time, 
  mthout 
  taking 
  breath; 
  in 
  one 
  instance, 
  a 
  speci- 
  

   men 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  to 
  remain 
  under 
  water 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  without 
  raising 
  its 
  snout 
  

   above 
  the 
  surface. 
  The 
  natiu-e 
  of 
  the 
  habitat 
  is 
  clearly 
  connected 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  prominent 
  

   family 
  characteristics. 
  For 
  instance, 
  the 
  buried 
  body 
  needs 
  not 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  fully 
  

   ossified 
  shield 
  which 
  the 
  other 
  famiUes 
  have; 
  the 
  long 
  neck 
  and 
  head, 
  the 
  projecting 
  snout, 
  

   and 
  the 
  free 
  communication 
  between 
  the 
  nasal 
  openings 
  and 
  the 
  mouth 
  are 
  all 
  connected 
  with 
  

   the 
  manner 
  of 
  taking 
  breath. 
  These 
  animals 
  rarely 
  go 
  on 
  dry 
  land, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  do, 
  their 
  

   locomotion 
  is 
  laborious 
  and 
  constrained; 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  identical 
  with, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  Amydae 
  

   in 
  the 
  alternation 
  of 
  the 
  Umbs 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  When 
  moving 
  through 
  the 
  water, 
  

   they 
  strike 
  horizontally 
  with 
  both 
  pairs 
  of 
  Umbs, 
  alternating 
  however 
  between 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  

   left 
  foot 
  of 
  each 
  pair; 
  but 
  when 
  they 
  start 
  suddenly, 
  the 
  front 
  Umbs 
  are 
  seen 
  moving 
  together 
  

   towards 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  snout, 
  and 
  then 
  striking 
  simultaneously 
  backward 
  with 
  great 
  power 
  

   to 
  propel 
  the 
  body 
  forward. 
  As 
  the 
  shoulders 
  are 
  placed 
  so 
  near 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  the 
  

   shield 
  does 
  not 
  project 
  free 
  about 
  the 
  front 
  end, 
  the 
  front 
  Umbs 
  move 
  mostly 
  beyond 
  the 
  shield, 
  

   in 
  front 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  sides; 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  is 
  sharp, 
  and 
  the 
  feet 
  are 
  broad, 
  their 
  web 
  

   reaches 
  above 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  below 
  the 
  plane 
  of 
  that 
  edge, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  strike, 
  they 
  drive 
  the 
  

   water 
  back, 
  partly 
  over 
  and 
  partly 
  under 
  it. 
  The 
  hind 
  legs 
  move 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  below 
  the 
  

   carapace 
  and 
  drive 
  the 
  water 
  backward 
  without 
  hindi'ance, 
  for 
  the 
  flexible 
  broad 
  rim 
  is 
  so 
  

   Ught 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  that 
  it 
  yields 
  reacUly 
  to 
  the 
  current. 
  When 
  these 
  animals 
  move 
  along 
  on 
  

   the 
  bottom, 
  the 
  Umbs 
  stiU 
  move 
  horizontally, 
  the 
  web 
  striking 
  against 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  inner 
  

   toes 
  against 
  the 
  bottom. 
  They 
  also 
  burrow 
  horizontally, 
  going 
  under 
  the 
  mud 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  

   depth 
  of 
  a 
  thin 
  layer. 
  Wlien 
  burrowing, 
  they 
  carry 
  the 
  liind 
  feet 
  forward 
  and 
  outward, 
  and 
  

   thus 
  bracing 
  themselves, 
  press 
  the 
  body 
  forward, 
  cUgging 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  mud 
  with 
  the 
  fore 
  feet, 
  

   and 
  raising 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  it 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  body; 
  the 
  mud 
  is 
  loosened 
  by 
  the 
  strong 
  inner 
  toes, 
  but 
  the 
  

   whole 
  foot 
  aids 
  in 
  removing'it. 
  In 
  walking 
  on 
  dry 
  land, 
  the 
  legs 
  move 
  as 
  nearly 
  horizontally 
  

   in 
  propelUng 
  the 
  body 
  forward 
  as 
  is 
  consistent 
  \vith 
  the 
  resistance 
  offered 
  by 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  

   animal 
  reacUly 
  resorts 
  to. 
  the 
  shield 
  for 
  protection. 
  The 
  neck 
  and 
  head 
  are 
  withdrawn 
  entirely 
  

   within 
  the 
  shield, 
  the 
  skin 
  rolUng 
  off 
  fi'om 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  neck, 
  and 
  allowing 
  it 
  to 
  pro- 
  

  

  