Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-03-19


dishes never seen on the bills OF fare OF
New York restaurants OF hotels, aud
the New York free lunch counter has
tot Yet added them 10 its list, SAYS the
New York St0i. In Philadelphia
Harrisburg, Plttsburg,. and. IN fact,
every town on the Pennsylvania Rail
road from Delaware 10 the MOnOngahe
Ia that Is biz enough 10 n We a restau-
rant or a free lunch route, the swapping
turtle, or snapper, as this yugnaciOus
fresh water chelOuIan Is locally called,
is "A delicacy that Is SINE To draw a
crowd Whenever and wherever il is
served. y peculiarly OF the Swapping
turtle is that beneath irs formidable
shell are hidden nine different kinds OF
meat, and each one Is tender, we'll
Favored and juicy. The snapper does
not provide steaks, like the green turtle.
although it grows large enough L have
known one 10 weigh forty pounds and
mole, but a turtle OF that SIZE las got
To be one of great age, and his meat is
strong and unsavOry. The snapper
should weigh not less than from five to
ten pounds to provide the choicest NOR
salS.
With the exception, probably, OF the
sna!pers of the waters OF the southwest
of the Mississippi, with the three corn
cred head, kuotty shell, aud long, thick
legs covered with spiuny warts, the
Pennsylvania snapper is probably the
| ugliest-loOking member of the chelonian
family we have. Its heal Is One-quir-
ter the size of its body. It's Jaws are
h Joked like the beak of Il bird of prey.
Far forward of the upper jaw are set its
large, prominent yellow eyes. Its pow
erful scaly legs terminate in long sharp
clys, four on the front feet and three on
the hind feet. Its tail Is half as long
as Its body, thick 1T the ba-e, running
to a sharp point, aud crested with a
Saw-like row of bony scales The shel
! of swapping turtle resembles sCme Gu
rious tablet of Egyptian hieroglyphic-.
| When angered, and It bee mes furlOuS
! on the slightest prOyOcaton- the snap
! Per rises erect on its powerful legs, and,
with its long neck extended 10 its fun
| length, Its tail Strengthened out like an
alligatOr'S, and its yellow eyes glowing,
! IL approaches the object of Its rage 10y
savage jumps, drawing its neck back
into its she'll and shooting It out again
with lightning rapIdity when within
striking distance
The swapping turtle is an awkward
| pedestrian, but in the water Is as quick
.ts a dash. The wary and agile trout Is
no match for the great auphIb On, and
no enemy of the trout Il more persist
| eut and destructive. The snapper Les
| n wait beneath the surface OF p ndS
/ and streams, where acgI gIailc fowls, e.
/ rCially geese and ducks, with their fat
| mi dOSny young, ar apt 10 sw N,
| and, coming up under the slspectIug
| trey as fleet and silent AS a shadow,
! -eizes il with one snap of his jaw, nj
! the premature duck or goose disappears
| beneath the surface like a stone dropped
/ IN the water. The snapper Is partial TO
| uuSkrats, and watches at their holes
| fur them II no rat appears, either
| rOing in or coming out OF us house The
/ snapper proceeds TO investigate lie
| y ,rks his way into the muskTaL's bur
/ row by the subterTanean pISsrge the
animal always tunnels To its nest, and
| -cizes his game literally IN its own
/ threshold. Reptiles Of all kinds, eSpec-
EllIy the wafer snake, are favorite food
| for the snapper, and fish furnish HIM
many choice Tepasts-
Veteran and yerIci Us hunters who
/ 4d their game along marshy streams
! and ponds declare that the swapping
/ turtle Is as wise IS ne Is cruel He
/ knows the instant he hears the sound
( of a gun that someone l. hunting
| uirds that feed along the shores AMI IL
| J!i,. reeds and flags lie loses no time
/ -. getting himself in position To look
] NJ for wounded biri5 tat may tall
/ INTO the water. If any fall they are the
I Suapper's meat. O.e oil SusIuehanna
| River hunter told me once that he shot
a suipe one day that fell into the water
INTO a bunch of flags His dog, small
cocker spanial, jumped IN TO retrieve
the bird. Tie dog had 10 Sooner got
INTO the water than the hunter heard Il
| great commution and then p erciug yell
from his dog.
He waded out to the re Ids, and there
! saw his dog struggling to Get away
J fr IN big swapping turtle that had
! seized the dog back of the fore shoulder.
| The hunter grasped his dog by the hind
legs and drew him back. The turtle
| did not let go its hold-they never do
until they are killed and then they don't
- and was dragged clear out OH dry
land, while the dog filed the air with
lis wells. The hunter placed the muZ-
~. of the gun to the turtles netk and
ill d 1t with a charge of shot That
disposed OF the turtle, but 1t did not
compel the turtle to dispense with the
do, the jaws remaining tightly closed
rn the dogs leg. The owner of the
5 anIel was obliged TO split the tenaci-
Gus head In two before he could recover
full possession of his dog.
The snapper has its home in streams
and ponds. Every female lays at least
twenty eggs, but they Will lay as many
uS thirty. She goes some distance from
the water when she gets ready 10 de
I-osit her eggs, which she does along
about the middle of June. She digs d
| perpendicular hole a foot deeP, and big
enough for her to get into and complete
her nest-building, which she does by
eNcavat ng lateral tdnnel from the
bottom of the surface hole This tun'
mel will be a foot or so long. If she
..ets her nest completed in the forenoon
ui the day she commenced IT she vii
Iav Ler eggs in the tunnel right away,
but if it Is afternoon when the nest Is
re. DIV she goes back 10 her retreat in the
water and waits until the next day.
She always deposits her eggs IN the
forenoon. She is particular about her
nest too. for some reason, and viii fire.
aurutly dig three or four holes before
size GETS one to suit her. After hel
erns are laid she covers them and I'LL:
the hole up with dirt ana smOOthes the
surface down with great care The
egas hatch IN ten days, and the turtle:
at once dig their way out of the ground
and start for the water as fast rs theil
little legs will carry them which IS a
the rate of about mile an hour.
The swapping turtle, unlike the ter
rapin, Is at its best during the summer
months, although it is always in de
mand while alternating. The snapper:
burrow in the ground in November
and remain there until April They
are caught in large numbers in centrs
Pennsylvania and in the Western par