40 



Aquatic Jiitt 



est ; it has no spines on the carapace as 

 in the last species, while its head is pro- 

 portionately narrower. Dull blotches 

 may be detected on its olive or brown 

 carapace ; but they are in some instances 

 very obscure and not readily seen. A 

 big specimen of this species may pos- 

 sess a carapace measuring some 7 inches 

 in length, but it would be the exception. 

 Emory's Soft-shell turtle also lacks the 





\w *» *? 





Southern Soft-shelled Turtle 

 Ventral View 



spines on the front edge of the carapace, 

 and its proboscis is proportionately short- 

 er. Its olive-tinted carapace is thickly 

 dotted over with black dottings. Aver- 

 age specimens run about a foot in length. 

 In pools, or muddy, sluggish streams 

 m those parts of the country where any 

 of these soft-shelled turtles are abundant, 



one may occasionally see them out of the 

 water, though this is by no means their 

 custom. They present a curious sight, 

 and one not easily forgotten. A slimy, 

 old, water-soaked log, out in the full 

 glare of the sun and flush with the sur- 

 face of the water of the pool, will some- 

 times, in the warm season, tempt several 

 of them, of various sizes, to climb out for 

 a good sun-bath. As a rule, when com- 

 fortably settled on the log, they will pull 

 in their legs and stretch out their necks, 

 until they resemble so many brown water 

 snakes rearing aloft. This feat led Dit- 

 mars to say that they, when so basking, 

 impart "the idea of as many snakes 

 emerging from under flat stones." Should 

 anything alarm them, the entire bunch is 

 into the water in a twinkling, when they 

 dart to places of hiding, at the bottom 

 or along the banks, with the swiftness 

 of the best fish that ever lived. 



In some parts of the South, these rep- 

 tiles are known as the "soft-shelled snap- 

 pers or snapping turtles," and for the 

 best of reasons. As already stated, its 

 bite is a most dangerous one, and cases 

 are known where a large Florida soft- 

 shell has bitten off a man's finger. So 

 quick is its attacking stroke that one 

 is thrown quite off one's guard, and the 

 first thing realized is that the vicious rep- 

 tile has the part seized in its powerful 

 keen-edged jaws. 



The small specimens of these interest- 

 ing turtles make very interesting aquar- 

 ium pets ; but they must be constantly 

 supplied with food, such as angling 

 worms, tiny fish, and so on, regularly, 

 or they will soon die. In nature the 

 adults feed upon many things, chiefly on 

 the various species of fresh-water mol- 

 lusca. In addition they capture and eat 

 no end of small fish, aquatic batrachians, 

 as frogs and newts, and, finally, the 

 (Concluded on Page 48) 



