The Snapping Turtles 



and is not particular as to its fare. Young water fowl are stalked 

 from beneath the surface, seized by a dart of the jaws and pulled 

 below to drown and be quickly torn to pieces by the keen man- 

 dibles assisted by the front limbs. The turtle is entirely car- 

 nivorous. It never feeds unless under water, but it will some- 

 times seize its prey on the bank of a stream, then retreat into 

 the necessary element. To keep one of these reptiles in water 

 so shallow that it is unable to entirely immerse its head and 

 supply it regularly with the most tempting food, would ulti- 

 mately result in its starvation. It appears that the reptile is 

 unable to swallow unless the head is under water. 



As a captive the Snapping Turtle feeds readily and lives 

 for many years. It will take food from the hand that feeds it, 

 but most specimens resent undue familiarity and snap viciously 

 when handled. The safest way to handle a large specimen 

 is to pick it up by the tail and hold it well off from one's body. 

 As the animal is able to throw the head well back over the shell 

 and to strike a considerable distance sideways, it is altogether 

 dangerous to hold a large specimen by the shell. Small indi- 

 viduals may be safely handled by grasping them by the rear por- 

 tion of the shell, which position removes the fingers from the 

 play of the jaws. 



In the early summer, the female leaves the pond or stream 

 so persistently haunted at all other times and prowls about 

 for a place to deposit her eggs. She often wanders many feet 

 from the water and, selecting a damp spot, scoops away the 

 earth to form a hollow into which she crawls and moves about 

 until the loose soil falls back over her. Thus she is hidden until 

 the eggs are deposited and to the number of about two dozen. 

 As she crawls forth the shell is reared to a sharp degree and 

 the earth that has fallen upon it is left covering the eggs. They 

 are perfectly round, white and with a thin, hard shell. 



As the Snapping Turtle is persistently aquatic the shells of 

 many specimens become coated with moss. As they lie partially 

 buried in the mud, in shallow water, they look much like flat 

 stones. In such places they remain for hours, poking the ex- 

 treme tip of the snout from the water to breathe. They are 

 able to remain for long periods entirely submerged and will 

 dive to the deepest portions of rivers where they prowl along 

 the bottom in search of food. 



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