202 Life and Inmortality. 
but what that reason was we could not imagine. Ifa decayed 
or wormy portion of a toadstool was encountered in the 
feeding process, he did not bite round it, but abandoned the 
plant altogether, and went off in quest of a fresh specimen. 
Coming, in his travels, to a steep gully or ravine which he 
desires to cross, he does not attempt the undertaking with- 
out counting his chances of success. He seemingly revolves 
the matter over and over for some time in his mind, and, 
when at last he has reached a conclusion, draws his head and 
feet under cover, and by some quick, sudden jerk flings him- 
self down to the bottom, trusting to good fortune and his 
own wits to making his way over the further incline. Obser- 
vation teaches that his deliberations are generally attended 
with the accomplishment of the result to be attained. 
There is a very common turtle, quite abundant in the small 
lakes and streams of our Western States, where he is trapped 
in great numbers for the market, which country people dub 
the Snapping Turtle, or which, from the resemblance which 
the head and neck, when stretched out, bear to the same parts 
of the alligator, takes the name of Alligator Turtle, or 
Chelydra serpentina, with the more learned naturalist. He 
has a shell too small to close over him and hide him com- 
pletely, but nature, to make up for this deficiency of cover- 
ing, has given him a bold and hasty temper, which leads him 
to snap vigorously when disturbed. Snapping Turtles live 
rather harmoniously together, even when confined in the 
same pen, and only manifest their ugly dispositions towards 
each other when excited by causes from without, with whose 
origin they have nothing to do. Contests of a very vicious 
character are often thus precipitated, which sooner or later 
end in the death of one or more of the belligerent parties. 
Down in the pine countries of our Southern States lives a 
large, stout animal, with a shell fifteen inches in length, 
which is denominated the Gopher, or Testudo Carolina. 
These animals dwell in troops, several families digging their 
dens or burrows near together, the entrance thereto being 
