34 TORTOISES, TERRAPINS, AND TURTLES 



one starting above the eye, the other below it. The plastron 

 shows a slight tendency toward a practicable hinge, but it is 

 only a suggestion, for the shell is practically rigid, and in- 

 capable of closing. This species, like all the terrapins of the 

 North, burrows into the mud of pond-l)ottoms at the ap- 

 proach of winter weather, and lies dormant, with the func- 

 tions of Nature suspended, until spring. It is found abun- 

 dantly in the eastern United States, and ranges westward 

 into Illinois. 



SMOOTH-SHELLED TERRAPINS 



Emydidae ' . ' 



Numerous indeed is the company composing the group 

 of pond and river Chelonians, which live half in and half 

 out of the water. They vary in size from the little musk 

 terrapin, no larger than the palm of your hand, to the big 

 alligator terrapin, of Louisiana, with a shell 23 inches long, 

 and a gross weight of 115 pounds, or more. There are many 

 species that are valuable as food, and one which is now ac- 

 cepted as the symbol of epicurean luxury. As usual, only 

 the types of greatest importance and widest distribution will 

 be mentioned here. 



If it Avere necessary to choose a single species to repre- 

 sent the many species of North American Terraj^ins, that 

 choice might well fall upon the Red-Bellied Terrapin,^ or 

 Slider. This is a species above the average size. The lar- 

 gest specimen in our collection weighs 10 pounds, and its shell 

 is 13 inches long by 9 inches wide, axial measurement. It 



^ Pgeu'de-mys ru-hri-ven'tris. 



