REPTILES OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK CITY 131 



In some localities the Musk Turtle is very common, particu- 

 larly in slow-running rivers with soft, muddy beds. When 

 annoyed, it gives off a musky odor which is strong 

 enough to be offensive. The carapace of an old speci- Tmtte^ 

 men is usually so overgrown with moss as to be seen 

 with difficulty when the animal is lying in the mud in shallow 

 water, as is its habit. This species is frequently hooked in fresh- 

 water fishing. In many ways the species resembles, in minia- 

 ture, the Snapping Turtle. From three to four inches is the 

 maximum size. 



FIG. 35- MUSK TURTLE; ON ITS BACK 



Range: Eastern North i\merica from Canada to the Gulf of 

 Mexico. 



Local distrihtition: General in slow-running streams and 

 ponds. Occurs within the limits of New York City, and is very 

 common in the Bronx River. 



None among our turtles is better known, although possibly 

 only by name, than the Diamond-back Turtle, or Terrapin, 

 Malacoclemmys paliistris (Figs. 36 and 37). The Diamond- 

 shields of the carapace rise from the surface of the back 

 shell in a series of rough, concentric rings; the row of Terrapin, 

 shields down the back shows a broken keel which rises rather 

 sharply in the center of each plate: this condition is especially 



