4 FRESH-WATER TURTLES. 



In the first place, it has a broad geographic distribution, its range 

 extending from Nova Scotia to the Equator and westward to the 

 Rocky Mountains. It is, therefore, one of the most widely known of 

 turtles ; and the New Englander who has migrated to the banks of the 

 Wabash, the Ohio, or the Mississippi, or to the prairies of Illinois, 

 recognizes it at once as an old acquaintance. This wideness of dis- 

 tribution indicates a hardiness and an ability to live under greatly 

 varying conditions. 



Not less important than its wide geographic distribution is its 

 varied habitat. It is found in a great many different situations — 

 in lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks, marshes, and bogs, and often travels 

 overland a considerable distance from water. Only those familiar 

 with the faunas of woodland ponds know the pretty, speckled tor- 

 toise ; only the travelers along shaded creeks know Blanding's turtle ; 

 and to those who dwell afar from the larger lakes and rivers the 

 soft-shell is known, if at all, only through the medium of boolcs or 

 museums. There are few, however, to whom the snapping turtle 

 is a complete stranger. 



In addition to its great variety of habitat, the leisurely habits of 

 the snapper make it familiar. When approached it does not beat a 

 hasty retreat, as do most other animals, but holds its ground against 

 all comers. Many who are fairly familiar with the pond turtles 

 and terrapin know them principally as a sudden splash from a log, 

 and many who visit the sand bars where the soft-shells love to bask 

 know them principally as a streak over the sand, as a splash at the 

 water surface, and as a wake like that made by a big fish. The snap- 

 per, however, is the living embodiment of the status quo. He is will- 

 ing to wait for the closest and most scrutinizing inspection; and, 

 closely gazed upon, his appearance may have much to do with his 

 being used as an article of food. One could not exactly call him 

 handsome ; a better statement would be that he looks good enough to 

 eat. His corpulent, bulging body, projecting in rolls from his inade- 

 quate shell gives above all else the impression of meatiness. The 

 rough skin, not greatly unlike that of a freshly plucked chicken, and 

 the narrow cartilaginous bridge and small plastron all suggest easy 

 preparation, much edible material, and little waste. 



All the other details about this species — manner of capture, the 

 peculiarities of the market, and, finally, the methods of cooking — 

 are, as will be observed, closely connected with its life history and 

 habits. 



SEASONS AND METHODS OF CAPTURE. 



During the summer the snappers are rather unsocial. They are 

 solitary in habits, the individuals being widely scattered, so that it is 

 difficult to take an accurate census of them. Because of these solitary 

 summer habits, there is, generally speaking, very little fishing for 

 this species in that season. There may, of course, be local exceptions ; 

 thus it was reported that throughout at least part of the summer of 

 1913, along the Grand River, Mich., there was an active turtle fishery, 

 both snappers and soft-shells being caught in seines and shipped to the 

 large near-by cities, such as Detroit and Chicago. In general, how- 

 ever, the summer is a dull season for turtles. One market man re- 

 marked that "the turtle is like the oyster, only in season when the 



