24 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
kins of the boat-landing at Spirit Lake to Professor Keyes of 
the Lakeside Laboratory in the summer of 1921. The specimen 
was sent to the writer by Professor Stromsten. Its carapace is 
approximately 23 em. long, and 15.5 em. in greatest width, and 
the turtle is about 10 em. high. This appears to be the most 
western point recorded for this species, and the first record for 
Iowa. 
Terrapene ornata (Agassiz) —Box Turtle—Professor Strom- 
sten reports finding, in a ravine near the Laboratory, a box tur- 
tle which he referred to this species. It was found August 17, 
1916, dissected and destroyed. As Professor Stromsten could 
hardly mistake a box tortoise, his report deserves consideration. 
However, this form is undoubtedly very rare in the region. 
Chrysemys marginata bellu (Gray).—Bell’s Painted Turtle — 
Abundant in all lakes, sloughs, and rivers in the region. One 
turtle was discovered completing nest building on the grassy 
lawn in front of the Laboratory on June 26, about an hour or 
more before sunset. Thirteen eggs were dug from the nest. 
Another turtle was found completing its nest at the edge of 
the pasture north of the Laboratory about ten feet from the 
lake shore. This nest contained twelve eggs. In each ease the 
earth about and over the eggs was well wetted. Another nest 
found a few days later very near this one contained eleven eggs. 
Near the small lakes west of Spirit Lake seven apparently com- 
plete sets of eggs were recovered containing, respectively, 5, 6, 
6, 7, 7, 9, and 12 eggs. Many nests were discovered pilfered by 
some animal, with all of the eggs destroyed and the shells scat- 
tered about in the vicinity . 
Amyda spinifera (LeSueur).—Soft Shelled Turtle-—Evident- 
ly common in the Little Sioux River. One adult was taken 
in the Township of Okoboji on the bank of the Little Sioux on 
July 3 in the middle of the afternoon. It was beginning to pre- 
pare a nest about twelve feet from the water on a sunny bank, 
sloping at an angle of about 30 degrees. The impression of the 
body on the ground showed that the turtle was facing the river, 
and that the two hind feet were used in digging the double 
burrow. The latter was already well under way, as it was 4 
inches in greatest length and from 114 to 2 inches deep. 
