REPTILES OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK CITY 139 



tection in time of clanger 



When the reptile is annoyed, the 

 front and rear sections of the plastron are pulled upwards to- 

 wards the carapace, and so closelv do the two shells 



. r Box 



come together that it is difftcult to insert even a hne xortoise. 

 wisp of straw at any point between them. 



The Box Tortoise lives to great age, as is shown by the fact 

 that specimens have been found upon the shells of which were 

 names and dates that had been carved there sixty and seventy 

 years before. Such tortoises were found near the fields in which 



they lived when marked, hence the probability is that the ani- 

 mal is not a great traveler. During very dry seasons the Box 

 Tortoise has been known to abandon the surface of the ground 

 and burrow deeply into moist earth or mud. 



Extremely variable in coloration, although the general colors 

 are brown or black, irregularly marked with yellow, the species 

 is more readily recognized by its form. The carapace is arched 

 and high; the limbs are club-shaped and fitted for a terrestrial 

 existence. Male specimens may be recognized by a distinct 

 concave area on the rear section of the plastron and by their 



