362 
VERTEBRATA. 
THB SMOOTH TEEEAPIN. 
THE SALT-WATER TERRAPIN. 
and the iiead and neck can be completely retracted witidn the shell. The nostrils are placed at 
the apex of the snout, but are not prolonged into a proboscis. They are chiefly aquatic, but 
Inoye well upon the land, and feed upon small fishes and aquatic insects. They are most abund- 
ant in warm climates, but some species are found in North America, and also in Europe. By 
some naturalists the Box-Tortoises are included in this family, but we shall notice them among 
the Land Tortoises. 
Oenus EMYS : Emys. — Of this, one of the best known species in this country is the Salt- 
Water Terrapin, E. palustris : 
the shell five to seven inches 
.'-^^ m\\mmm^\\w^=i^^m^^ ^ ^"^^^ ^^^^^^ ' 
""^^^^^^"^ 'i^g^^^^^^^^rfp^l ^^^^^ exclusively in salt or brackish 
'" ' ' ' " streams near the sea-shore. It 
buries itself in the mud during 
the winter, from which it is 
taken in great numbers, being 
then very fat. This is the cele- 
brated terrapin of the epicures. 
It is found on Long Island, and abundantly on the coast further north. The Smooth Terrapin, 
E. terrajnn^ seven or eight inches long, is similar to the preceding, and is valued for the table ; 
found from Rhode Island southward along the coast. 
The Painted Tortoise, E. ^ncta, is from five to nine inches long ; a very handsome species, 
found in fresh waters, timid and 
inoffensive, ranging from Lake 
Superior to Georgia. Though 
sometimes eaten it is not greatly 
prized. 
The Spotted Tortoise, E. 
guttata, is three to four inches 
long ; black, with rounded spots 
above; beneath varied with 
Mack and yellow; sometimes 
takes to the land, and feeds on 
worms and insects ; it is often 
called S'pecMed Tortoise ; found 
throughout the Union. 
The Red-bellied Terrapin, E. ruhriventris, is ten to seventeen inches long ; color dusky, 
with reddish spots, above ; beneath red ; common in New York and the neighborhood ;, the 
flesh is good, and it is often brought to the markets. 
THE SPOTTED TORTOISE. 
