CONCORD 
1893 
April 30 
Ball *s Hill 
Strange 
behavior 
of a 
Snapping 
Turtle 
[To Ball’s Hill at 9.30 A. M., paddling down against 
a fresh east wind. When I returned at 3 P. M., the wind 
was south-west to north-west, coming in strong puffs at 
times. The Holmans dined with me at the cabin and Spelman 
and Burrage called on the way down river to the sea. There 
were very few birds in the woods rear Ball’s Hill and I saw 
nothing of interest except a Thrasher and a Mniotilta, the 
latter singing.J 
In a low, swampy place near a brook we found a 
Snapping Turtle of about 15 pounds weight. Tolman began 
teasing it with a stick when, to our great surprise, it 
worked its way steadily and quite rapidly down into the 
ground which, although soft, was dry and firm enough to 
walk on with ordinary shoes. In less than a minute the 
creature’s back was level with the surface; in another min¬ 
ute it had wholly disappeared and in some curious and 
mysterious way the earth had closed over its back. By 
prodding with a stick we found that its back was two inches 
or more beneath the surface. It did not go down head first 
but with the shell perfectly level. There was little per¬ 
ceptible motion of the feet and the head was drawn in the 
whole time. \1 saw three turtles of this species in the 
river to-day. Also three Muskrats. A Bittern pumping 
steadily on the meadows as I returned up river. 
At 4 P. M. drove to Lincoln with T. and dug a lot of 
Hepat icasTJ 
