36 



leaves her eggs. We found nine in a nest, which we ex- 

 finiined, at the iiiouth of the Patuxent last gunimer, but we 

 arc disposed to think that this was an unsually large number. 

 In the ponds for artificial rearing, the sand might be placed 

 in tanks, which could be removed at the close of the laying 

 season to the nursery i)ond, from which should be carefully 

 excluded all fish, especially minnows, as they are great 

 eueniies to the terrapin in its earliest stages. 



The eggs remain in the sand some two months or so, until 

 hatched. For some time after they are free from the shell, 

 they show no disposition to take to the water ; at this period 

 they are very vulnerable, as they are encumbered with an 

 umbilical sac, which presents a salient point of attack to small 

 iishes; they should be carefully protected from these casualties 

 and [irovided with soft mud in which to bury themselves during 

 their hibernation. 



Even after the umbilical sac is absorbed, there must be a 

 great number destroyed when at large, by the larger fishes. 

 We found a terrapin evidently of the previous summer's brood 

 in the stomach of a catfish, taken in the Upper Bay last 

 Spring. 



There are a great many terrapin consumed each year, 

 which could vejy profitably be kept for two or three years in 

 ponds, as above described, and fed upon small fish during the 

 summer, when the alewife, et cet.era^ can be taken in great 

 abundance in the terrapin regions. 



Destruction of small Fish by Seines. 



We find that the destruction of small fish is immense at 

 every liaul of the seines, and yet it is exceedingly difficult to 

 devise means to avoid it, for if the meshes used were largrer, 

 the herring would escape, and in landing the seines as is cus- 

 tomary in our waters, it is impossible to separate the fish and 

 save the small ones alive to be returned to the waters. There 

 are, therefore, numbers of small fish termed ''offal," which 

 Avould be valuable for food if unmolested for another year, 

 accumulated in heaps on the shores to make their decaying 

 presence felt by nauseous odors, or are hauled out on the 



