REPTILES. 151 



opercles of sucli mullnscs; and in the intestines of one were the 

 remains of a crayfish, some fish scales, and what appeared to be 

 the cases of some kind of caddiswoTin. Tts broad masticatory snr- 

 faces are well fitted for crushin<>' the shells of mollnscs.'' In cap- 

 tivity Ditmars (1907, 44) found that it would eat ^'chopped fish, 

 meat and mealworms, also earthworms and various softbodied 

 grubs, dragging all its food into the water and devouring it beneath 

 the surface." 



A specimen examined by Surface (1908, 141) had only crawfish 

 remains in the stomach. 



The breeding habits of Indiana specimens have been rather fully 

 reported by Newman (1906, 140-142) : '"Graptemys begins to lay 

 very early in June, somcAvhat earlier than other species observed. 

 The females are apt to wander some distance from the water for 

 nesting, seeming to prefer soft, plowed soil or clear, dry sand away 

 from the beaches. Thej' wander about for hours in search of a 

 suitable place for nesting. One specimen started five nests before 

 she was satisfied with the condition of the soil. Two were rejected 

 on account of the presence of stones and one because the sand caved 

 in too readily. The other two appeared to me to be suitable in 

 every way and I was unable to explain why she abandoned them. 



"If one expects to see the first stages of nest-making it behooves 

 him to be astir before sunrise. Over half of the females found 

 nesting w^ere encountered before eight o'clock. They Avork slowh* 

 and seem to prefer the quiet hours of the day, probably because 

 they are less likely to be disturbed. 



"Apart from the slowness and deliberateness of their movements, 

 they Avork much after the fashion adopted b}^ Aspidonectes, except 

 that they ne\ev Avork the fore-feet so as to secure foothold. 



"The nests are of someAAhat smaller dimensions and the flask- 

 shaped expansion is more symmetrically placed, scarcely more 

 bulged on one side than the other. Tavo layers of eggfi are de- 

 posited in the flasklike expansion but the last tAA^o or three egg's 

 are placed in the narrow neck, the uppermost egg being sometimes 

 only about tAA^o inches from the surface. 



"It is difficult to frighten them away after they haA'e once de- 

 cided upon a nesting place. When surprised they stop Avork but 

 soon resume it and continue it to the end, even Avhile the obserA^er 

 is in plain view. The nest of Graptemys is a finished product, all 

 traces of nest-making being obliterated. This is accomplished by 

 dragging the smooth plastron back and forth across the small area 

 that had been disturbed by nesting. 



