The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-19
WHAT SWAPPING TURTLES EAT.
They Like Frogs and Are Fond or Cabbage
Turtle That Caught a Quail.

The swapping turtle said a man ia
miliar with that reptile and its ways, Seats
among many other things, bullfrogs. You
| might think that so accomplished n swim
| mer and so great a jumper as the bullfrog
would easily keep out Of the way Of the
slow-moving turtle, but by chance or by
strategy, or combination of both, the
numbering turtle catches many bull
frog.
Here, for instance, is a bullfrog lying
on the top of the water, resting or summing
itself big swapping turtle il floating
or padding idly in the water near by. The
turtles movements are all clumsy and
slow, all except the movement of its head
and neck.
Its neck is highly telescope, and stretches
out to a length you wouldn't expect, and
1t darts out its head to that length with
electric suddenness. Floating along near
out its head and catches Mr.. Bullfrog by
the leg
Then the bullfrog plunges and splashes,
and tries TO get away, but the turtle holds
it fast in it's hard beak. and the frogs
splashes only serve to draw other snap
ping turtles, and you'd better draw the
curtain here, for among them the turtles
simply tear the bullfrog limb from limb
and devour il.
and swapping turtles catch bulfrogs
ashore, too, the snapper being great
shoregoer. The snapper likes, especially,
ploughed and cultivated fields. Probably
If the swapping turtle could indicate its
choice of abiding places it would say: Give
me good-sized pond, containing animal life
-frogs and fishes a plenty-with cultivated
land coming down to the edge all around.
in which | would find the going easy. and
where would find great things to eat For
the swapping turtle is vegetarian as we'll
as a flesh eater.
1T will come ashore into ploughed fields
at night and wander away from the water
hundreds of feet For that matter, of course,
turtles will travel long distances on land.
But the turtle am speaking Of, com
ing out of the water on little expedition
patches and turnip fields, eating cabbage
leaves and turnip tops with great delight.
We don't commonly think Of turtles eating
cabbages and turnips. No, we do not;
but they are very fond Of them, just the
same, and eat lots of them. An old farmer
told me once that he didn't know which
did the most damage to his cabbages and
turnips, rabbits or swapping turtles.
And IN swapping tlrtl wander around
generally through tho grass, and into
farmyar6's, for that matter. and harm
yards, SEEING what they can find Some
times Oh tlrsa expeditions they come
acre So hullfrog ashore, and the swapping
turtle catches and eats young chickens
and turkeys | heard Of a case once in
which swapping turtle caught a quail
"A man coming along road on thr south
side VI Long Island found this swapping
turtle in the edge Of wood, about two
hundred yards from the shore, holding a
quail by one of its legs, The turtle had,
by chance, come upon this quail there in
the woods, or il may be that the bevy had
settled near wher, the turtle was lying,
with this quail settling right by the turtles
hond.
~Thc man that saw this quail thus held
captive struck the turtle across the back
Of The neck with a whip he was CARRYING,
to make ii let 90; but instead Of
making the snapper d 80 that blow made
II clos' its beak the tighter and il Bit Off
the dual's log; and minus one leg the quail,
its wings sill uniniured, flew away.
in fact the swapping turtle las what
you might call good all-round appetite,
and lie appetite is always G cd