The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-03-16
A SAVORY REPTILE.
THE BACK TERRAPIN
AND ITS HABITS.
Where Ii is Found-Pounded or
Raised Terrapin-Their Strange
Peculiarities-Terr Catch
ing Quite an Industry.

caught on all the shores bordering the
Chesapeake Bay from the St. James River
to the Patapsie River, but more alum
dainty on the eastern shore, where the
marshes are very extensive.
In the spring time the terrapin will
crawl up to the higher and solid ground,
where the tide does not reach, to deposit
their eggs, which are Matched by the
warm sun. The terrapin digs hole in
the sand and deposits its eggs and covers
them over again by scratching the sand
over the eggs. AS soon as the eggs arc
Matched the young terrapins crawl out
of the sand and go right into the water
and take care of themselves. 1t re-
quires the terrapin from eleven to thir
teen years to mature. \ young terrapin
can always be told by the shedding of
its scales. After he ceases to shed his
age cannot be told. 1t is supposed that
he will shed until he is twenty years
old. 1t is thought by many that a terra
pin lives to great age.
The water in the Chesapeake Fay,
being not too salt, but brackish the
celery at the bottom of tie rivers and
bays just suits the terrapin and makes
him delicious for food. He eats his
celery for FIVE or six months, and COL
lects great amount of nutriment in
him. Lying dormant all the rest of the
time he requires neither drink nor food,
and when disturbed he refuses to eat or
drink, but becomes fatter all the time.
The pounded or raised terrapins are
fed on fish and crabs during their feed
ing season. They cannot collect nutri-
ment enough to last them during the
dormant season. They become poor and
light in weight, and finally die for the
want of nutrment. If the terrapin.
raisers could gather the celery roots and
plant them in the beds where they in
tend to raise terrapin, so that the terra
pin could feed on the growth. they
would soon do away with all failures,
and no more worthless terraPin would
be seen on the market.
The Chesapeake diamond back ter
rapin in healthy state and full weight
is worth all you pay for it. Those raised
on fish and crabs are dear at any price.
! A full-sized terrapin is from : to q
inches, but some few grow to ex,
tremes.
The terrapin, when in his native ele.
ment, collect great amount of phos-
phorus and nutriment NINETY per cent?.
You can cut off its foot and the wound
will heal up beautifully without anything
being applied to it or without fostering.
You can take sharp instrument and
split open his shell and let it go into the
water. The wounded part will heal W
and become as strong as ever and show
no traces except a scar. The terrapin
can also live probably a month or more
with ms head cut off, and if you 'pul
his leg" he will pull it back with great
strength.
TIE terrapins have some very strange
peculiarities. In the pond where they
are raised the water will be perfectly
still and not terrapin to be seen. The
keeper at feeding time will whistle and
hundreds of terrapins will pop up theil
heads and swim to the shore and take
food out of the feeders hand.
The terrapin season opens on Novem.
Der 1st, and closes April 1st. During
the spring, summer and part of thu
fall the terrapin is watched over by
strict state laws. In Maryland the law
imposes fine of 500 for every terrapir
caught or sold from April to November
AS soon as the frost puts in its appear
ance the terrapin will leave the bay and
hunt for bed in the little streams OF
muddy marsh. He buries himself il
mud from eighteen to twenty-four inches
deep, and remains there without any
thing to eat until April. During the
summer when he is eating and breeding
he is very fierce for little fellow, and
will bite savagely; but from November
to April he does not open his mouth and
cannot be coaxed to bite.
Terrapin catching is quite business
among men who live near the marshe:
and little streams bordering the Chesa
peake Bay. 1t is estimated that 800 mer
are annually employed in the industry