Milford chronicle., 1896-06-12
GArE COD TERRAIN.
Interesting Facts About a Very
Popular Reptile.
The "Diamond Back" Affords Conn
Portable Living to Those Who
Are Engaged In Cap
turing 1t.


It win be a great shock to the pride Of
MARYLAND and Pennsylvania to learn
that terrapin are caught on the coast
of Massachusetts and that they COM
imand higher price in the New York
market than those from anywhere else.
Where the Massachusetts diamond
backs come from or when they come
or whether they are natives OF these
waters are questions that have never
been answered. Indeed, naturalists
seem to have entirely overlooked, un-
til very recently, the fact that the ter
rapin was to be found on the Massa-
chusetts coast.
When the presence of terrapin was
brought to the attention of few men
who were interested in natural history
it was thought at first that the reptiles
llsasl migrated from the south. But many
of - amin were fully grown, and
as a fcS terra,.'-- is bolt "a 90
he not less th3sf cars old it was con-
cluded that they were probably natives
of Massachusetts. If this conclusion is
the correct one it is the more remark
able that the fashionable turtle man
aged to keep himself out of textbooks
on natural history.
Terrapin were first discovered in Mas
sachusetts by a southern negro, Demp-
ster Hill, who happened to see several
of the diamond backs" summing them
selves on O sandbar. He had not lived
in the south for nothing, and, recognize
ing the value of his find, he said not q
word to anybody, but suddenly devel-
oped remarkable energy.
Like most of his race he did not worry
about the future, and, when he had
caught dozen OF two terrapin, he solo
them and lived on the proceeds unit
his funds needed repletion, when he be
came again energetic.
Hill made a very comfortable living
in this way for several years before hi
white neighbors awolSe TO their oppor
tunities.
This was number of years ago, anC
when Hill died his mantle fell on
white man, who is now the principa
terrapin fisher on Buzzard's bay.
Terrapin are to be found all along th'
Cane Cod coast as well as in Buzzard'
bay. This year both the diamond
and smooth back terrapin have beer
very scarce in these waters or else thu
fishermen have not had their usual sue
cess in finding them.
Twelve years ago terrapin wer'
caught in great quantities in Barnsta
BILE, South Wellheet and other point
on Buzzard's bay, but most of the fish
ing Is now done in East Wareham an'
vicinity, where the most expert "dia
mond back" hunter on the coast lives.
.Terrapin are known on Cape Cod a
'turpin' and the visitor from the cit!
who gives the word three syllables /
regarded as hopelessly ignorant. Tn
native of Maryland prefers to speak o
this delectable inhabitant of n shell a
a ''bird," possibly because its flavor ha
something of a suggestion of the sal
marsh in the early morning.
It Is in the salt marshes bordering
the creeks which have their outlet il
Buzzard's bay that the choicest "tur
pin" find their homes in the white
months. To protect themselves fror
the cold they dig down in the sand
sometimes to a depth of five feet, and Ii
dormant until spring. In the interva
they go without food. With the aI
proach of warm weather appetite re
turns, they resurrect themselves fror
their sandy graves and until white
comes again they swim about in tn
water, catching the oysters, crabs an
fish on which they subsist or lie sunnin
themselves on sandbars for hours
Boston Herald.