177 



The study of tho above shows that 02 \>or cent, of the siK-ciinona 

 rontainiii<; foot! contained vcgetabh' matter of which berries and 

 seeds were rather conspicuous. Eighty (SO) per cent, of those con- 

 tainin}]^ food contained animal tissue which means that several in- 

 dividuals contained both animal and vej,'etable tissue. Amonj^ tho 

 or<j:anisms to be found were snails, sluj,'s, milliiR'des or lhousan<l 

 le<;<jed worms, and insects. 



Anion j; the insects the Orthoptera (the {grasshoppers and crickets) 

 were conspicuously taken as food as were the Ix^pidoptera (moths 

 and buttertlies) in the worm or larval stage. The Coleoptera or 

 beetles also received a good share of attention. 



It is remarkable that only one out of the forty specimens contain 

 ing food had eaten the flesh or tissue of vertebrate animals and this 

 had eaten a mouse. However, in this regard it was decidedly 

 beneficial in its economic influence. 



Of course, the berries that had been eaten were those which had 

 become over ripe and had dropped from the bushes and consequently 

 would not be gathered by mankind. The chief thing that can be laid 

 against them is that of destroying cantaloupes on their vines, but 

 it is our belief that they more than repay this by their conspicuous 

 and evident destruction of insect pests. 



Let the Common Land Turtles be preserved and they will help 

 take care of the pests destroying the farm produce. 



Special records of our examinations of specimens are as follows: 



No. 5822c- contained entirely animal matter; two snails and frag- 

 ments of snail shell. No. u822c^ contained an earth worm, three or 

 more snails, one millipede and no vegetable matter. 



Of forty-four stomach contents, twenty-one showed more animal 

 than vegetable matter; thirteen more vegetable than animal, and ten 

 w^ith both animal and vegetable, but no record showing one in excess 

 of the other. 



It is interesting to note the statements of authors concerning 

 the food of the Common Box Turtle. For example, Shaw says "It 

 feeds on various kinds of small animals, such as mice, and even 

 serpents, which it seizes by the middle and draws into the sh«'ll and 

 thus crushes them to death; it also eats various vegetable sub- 

 stances.'' We are not of the opinion thai this turtle makes a trap 

 of its shell. 



LeConte says its food consists of "fruit, insects and edible fungi. 

 Many persons are in the habit of keeping them in their cellars when' 

 they destroy snails, crickets and other obnoxious insects but it is 

 a question whether they ever devour rats and mice and it is also a 

 ridiculous idea of their deslmying snakes." We consider his ques- 

 tions justifiable. 



Holbrook says they "feed on insects, crickets, etc., and eat readily 

 whatever food is offered them in confinement, such as br(>ad. pota- 



