128 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



the reptile's size the plastron is very small and provides little or 

 no protection for the limbs in time of danger. In color the 

 Snapping Turtle is dark brown, with no markings. Adult 

 specimens attain a length of two feet and a weight of from 

 thirty-five to forty pounds. The carapace of old specimens is 

 often covered with moss. 



Slow-running muddy streams and large ponds are the lurking 

 places of these reptiles, which are exceedingly voracious. Lying 

 partly hidden in the mud, they await the approach of fish or 

 even young water fowl. Possessed of a pugnacious disposition, 

 a large specimen might well be rated as dangerous. The hooked 

 jaws are capable of inflicting deep wounds, and are, mioreover, 

 employed with energy when the reptile is annoyed. When of 

 medium size, the species is said to be edible. The eggs are 

 deposited in June, to the number of from two to four dozen; 

 they are perfectly spherical and possess a hard shell. 



Range: Canada and the United States east of the Rocky 

 Mountains ; southward to Ecuador. 



Local distribution: General and abundant. 



FIQ. 31. MUD TURTLE 



