close the lower shell so tightly against the upper that not even a toothpick 
can be inserted between the shells. 
When tamed, the box turtle becomes as delightful as more common 
pets and will even feed out of one’s hand. It consumes such edibles as earth¬ 
worms, raw meat, greens and fruit. Indeed it is so polite, that it will readily 
accept all the food it can eat and consequently may put on a good deal of 
excess weight. Sometimes it grows so fat that it cannot close its shells on 
both ends. Its bulging body pops out on one end when the shells are closed 
on the other, in a manner similar to that of a toy balloon which is squeezed 
by a child. The box turtle may become so accustomed to the safety of cap¬ 
tivity that it cannot even be tempted to close its shells. 
Most of its time is spent on land. It will enter the water only to ford a 
stream, cool off, or escape an enemy. It floats like a cork but swims with 
the irregular, frightened strokes of the novice swimmer who suddenly finds 
himself in water over his head. 
The common box turtle clambers slowly through the forests and fields 
although it can put on speed when necessary. It hunts insects, worms and, 
in season, blackberries. In its wanderings it maintains an excellent sense of 
direction. A box turtle has been carried miles from its haunts, then attached 
to a spool of thread which it unwinds as it journeys back to the starting 
point. Trailing it through the thread, C. M. and R. B. Breder observed that 
the turtle will pursue nearly a beeline in returning from where it was 
abducted. 
In their journeys in search for food and mates, box turtles avail them¬ 
selves of man’s smooth roads. Here they often meet death under the 
crushing wheels of automobiles. 
This animal seeks shelter under bushes. It does not burrow a hole in 
which to live but it manages, by burrowing, to force its legs into the ground. 
Then it forces the edges of the top shell down into the soil. All that remains 
showing is the rounded portion of the top shell which seems very much 
like a stone imbedded in the ground and is difficult to recognize as part of a 
turtle. 
When born, the box turtle is about the diameter of an American half 
dollar and when it is fully grown its oval shell is almost six inches long. 
From three to six eggs are laid by the female in a small hole in open 
fields, the operation being similar to the egg-laying of other water turtles. 
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