Tombstone epitaph., 1915-07-11

! valley where I live only two species of chcioaia
 are found-the painted
 turtle (Chrysemys picta). labs9. .&l popularly known as the R&HMI mud turtle" and the
 TIM snapping turtle (Chelydra
 serpentina). Both are en-
 tirely aquatic in their habits and rarely leave the water ex- eept to lay their eggs The painted turtle is the more abundant and, from Its custom of crawling out on logs and rocks to sun itself, is much oftener seen, and consequently. better known than the snapper" which, though it exists in far larger numbers than is generally suspected. evidently finds concealment best suited to Its preda- cious mode of life In it's business 1t does not pay to advertise.
 The snapping turtle has a very ex- tensive range, being found over the whole Of the United States east of the Rockies. and as far south as Ecuador, while to the north 1t extends probably to 50 degrees north latitude. It grows much larger than its painted" brother. specimens with a carapace length of two feet being sometimes taken. Be sides its strong, thick tail. its chief characteristic Is its long neck, which II can dart out with astonishing rapid ity to seize its prey or attack an ene- my, and from this 1t gains its popular name Its powerful jaws, though toothless, are bony and sharp. and are capable of infiicting a serious wound on the careless captor The carapace Of the adult animal Is composed of smooth, well defined, greenish brown plates. The plastron and under parts of the animal are yellowish. Very old Individuals evidently lead sedentary lives. and thus avoid the proverbial opprobrium of the rolling stone" for their shells are often thickly coated with moss.
 On land they can walk briskly enough on their long legs. but the water is their real element, and they | swim easily and well, although, of course, their lines are not designed for speed, and they can remain sub ! merged for long periods.
 As the snapper" is we'll able, and always more than willing. to take a strong offensive-ever the best means | Of defense-it does not stand in need of capacious shell, like many of its milder-mannered relatives, into which to retire out of harms way. Conse- Quently its carapace scarcely covers Its retracted head and folded tail, while it's cruciform plastron is narrow and small, and leaves the under parts practically undefended. The animal generally has a very unpleasant, musty smell, and always exhibits a most savage temper. Its favorite habi- tat is small. sluggish streams and i swamps. where it lies concealed in the mud and weeds. darting out its long neck to seize its food. It is purely carnivorous in its diet, and destroys large numbers of fish and, when it can l get them, young waterfowl. On this account We must class it as decided ! iy injurious animal, although in some places 1t Is regularly used for food, and is said to be often seen on sale in the markets of the southern United | States.
 About the middle of June the fe- males leave the water at night to de- posit their eggs. They crawl out on some sandy beach and scrape shallow, ] saucer-shaped depressions in the loose, dry surface sand in order to reach the frmer layer of damp sand beneath On the beach l examined. these de- pressions were about six inches deep by fourteen or fifteen inches in di- ameter The turtles seem to be rather | fastidious in their choice of a site, | for they always make a number of these hollows before finally tunneling into the damp sand. The tunnel, which is the actual egg receptacle. is an oval section about three inches by four inches. and slopes at an angle of 20 or 30 degrees into the damp sand I to depth of four or five inches The eggs. which just about fill this tunnel. are all deposited at the same time, and the sand scraped over them again and roughly heaped up. When the nest" is completed the bottom of the tunnel is about ten inches from the surface The eggs of nearly all the other chelonia are oval in outline. but