THE ISIUSK TURTLE 



33 



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"Turtle," Musk "Turtle" and similar terrapins with fixed 

 plastrons were included. To-day, oddly enougli, there is a 

 decided inclination to leave the Box Tortoise in the Tortoise 

 Family — where they belong — and leave the Musk Turtle and 

 his nearest relatives in possession of the abandoned Order. 

 But to the general 

 reader, all this is of but 

 momentary interest. 



The Musk "Tur- 

 tle,"^ or Stink-Pot, 

 has been loaded down 

 with names in two 

 languages which pro- 

 claim a smelly charac- 

 ter. It is a common- 

 place little terrapin 

 about 6 inches long, inhabiting quiet ponds or sluggish streams, 

 basking in the sun when it is safe to linger above high- 

 water mark. Occasionally it so far forgets itself as to swallow 

 a worm-baited hook and bring on trouble of two or three 

 kinds. Its regular food is aquatic insects, minnows, fish- 

 eggs, worms and, in fact, any fleshy creature slow enough to 

 be caught and small enough to be eaten. 



The Musk "Turtle," or Terrapin, is possessed of a very 

 noticeable musky odor, which serves better as a distinguish- 

 ing character in the living specimen than its very dull color 

 and general commonplacedness of external appearance. Some- 

 times it shows a few spots; and the neck bears two stripes, 



' Ar-o-mo-chel'ijs o-dor-a'tus. 



MUSK "TURTLE." 



