33 



e«tablisliinent of other onter])i-ises throiiglioiit our bay coast. 

 The liberality of the City (tf Baltimore, and her Park Com- 

 missioners, has placed it in our jjower to daily instruct the 

 numerous persons who visit Druid Hill Hatching House in 

 the process of hatching and rearing trout, another of the luxii- 

 ries of the water, which are fast becoming unknown in waters^ 

 in which tliey were once plentiful. 



There arc hundreds of localities admirably situated in or.r 

 terrapin-producing regions, which could be made more pro- 

 ductive, acre for acre, than the best surrounding land, by tiie 

 establishment of terrapin ponds. 



These i)onds might be constructed by fencing ofi' the head 

 of one or two of the numberless inlets which occur so fre- 

 quently in our lower bay, or throwing fences out into the 

 creeks, by driving boards down some seven or eight feet into 

 the mud, so as to prevent the possibility of the terrapin bur- 

 rowing under them. The l>ottom of the pond should shelve 

 off to a depth of six or eight feet deep in the creek or inlet, 

 and the fence should enclose a portion of sand bank extending 

 some dozen or more feet beyond high water mark in which 

 the adult terrapin can deposit their eggs. During the winter 

 season there should be a partition fence to prevent them from 

 coming into shallow water, as the ice which is formed on the 

 flood sometimes falls when the tide recedes, and crushes those 

 which are near shore. During the summer, floats should be 

 anchored out in deep water, on wliich the terrapin could en- 

 joy the sun, and the fence sliould be removed, so as to allow 

 them to reacli the shore during tlie laying season, which is 

 in the latter part of June ov in July. In addition to the 

 larger ponds in which the stock terrapin are kept, there slsoubl 

 be a smaller pond which could be used as a nursery. 



The female, when ready to lay her eggs, comes out of tlie 

 water beyond high water mark, and excavates Avith lier hind 

 legs a neat hole in the sand, deposits, carefully covers, and 

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

 amined, at the mouth of the Patuxent last summer, but we 

 are disposed think that this was an unusually large number.. 

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

 in^tanks, w^hich could be removed at the close of the laying 

 season t« the nursery pond, from whicli should be carefully 

 4 



