The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-03-14
A BOX TURTLE.
Some Of the Odd Ways of Very Peculiar
Little Animal.

Some of the Odd Ways Of q Very Peculiar
Little Animal.
A Brooklyn boy, writing to the
Christian Union, asks that l shall tell
him ''all about turtles-land turtles,
water turtles and every other kind OF
turtles-especially the box turtle"
don't suppose, my friend, that you
meant to set me such task. but you
have really asked me to write book.
and I'm sadly afraid the editor wouldn't
be willing to give up the whole paper
to an account OF those queer little
bodies who wear their bones outside,
instead of inside, rs the rest of us do,
no matter how interesting it might be.
Why, do you know there are hum
dred of kinds OF turtles, from sea
monsters, the size OF a big double bed.
down to droll little fresh-water fellows
that can hide under a three-cent piece?
There are sixty kinds that live in
fresh water alone. So, unles you can
persuade the editor to let me have the
whole paper some day-and almost
know you can not-l shall have to con-
fine myself to the one you ask par
ticularly about, the box turtle.
This parsonage has u proper scien-
tific name, of course, and il you want
to read about him in the big books,
you may look for Tertudo Carolina.
The box turtle, who is SO much better
off than the rest Of his family that ne
can 60 into his house and shut the
door, is found all over the United States
east Of the Mississippi river; not in
swamps or woods. but in pastures and
uplands, where grow the mushrooms
and tOadstOols on which he lives. He
is one of the smaller varieties, rarely
more than seven inches long. But II
some OF his relatives exceed him in
inches, few can Guido him in age; he
has been known to live one hundred
years.
This may be due to the fact that he
Is calm in temperament; he takes
things rs he finds them, and never
frets. II some inquisitive boy tethers
him to a post on the lawn, as certain
young friend Of mine often does, he
never thinks Of raging around, and
wearing himself out, rs do many Great
ures; he simply digs hole and retires
from the light of day. Should he be
placed in a box or pen, with sides too
high for him to climb over. he just
shuts up his doors and waits till his
captor gets tired Of a pet SO dull. He
can wait better than any body know.
He doesn't care for three meals a
day; he is able to fast long time; and,
SO far from liking the water, he will
die If he is kept in it.
The young friend mentioned above
is particularly fond OF turtles, and on
going to the country in the summer
the first thing he does is to scour the
neighborhood and set up turtle pen
Last summer, out on Long Island, he
had six or eight turtles in pen which
no filed every day with fresh water,
ard % box turtles, which were tied
in the yard. The smaller OF the two
was about three inches long. and wa.
much interested in it. 1t was the frs
/ had noticed closely, for / must admit
that almost any live creature is more
attractive to me than the reptile. /
is altogether too cool-blooded for m,
taste.
But this little boxed-up youngstel
was curious. When the shell box wa
placed on the table near the burning
lamp. its owner was out of sight. ever.
door shut, apparently not at home I,
callers. His house was decorated will
orange and black in beautiful pat
tern, and rs clean and bright rs if !
were scrubbed and polished every day
like Philadelphia doorstep.
While we were admiring his man
sion, we noticed that the front doc
was ajar just crack-prObabl,
enough to let the hermit peep out. w
kept perfectly still. and very slowly
opened WIDER Soon there appeare
in the middle tiny pink point; then
as the crack widened-a pair of YER,
bright black eyes; and when it wa
opened about half an Inch, we saw i
the doorway the .drollest face that ON
can imagine. -. -
The whole face came to a sharp edg
(like wedge). At the top, betwee
the eyes. was the funny pink nose
with blacklist dots on it, rs if he ha
been playing in the mud; and belo'
the nose a small black mouth. wit
corners drawn in the primmest fasl
ion He looked like a very precis
aud prim old gentleman, and he PR