Evening star., 1945-06-09
This and That
By Charles E. Trdce1DeH.

Dear Sir.
Here's one about turtles. While weed
ing one of my flower gardens last night
about dusk, ran my fingers under the
roots of particularly pernicious clump
of crabgrass, and upon pulling it out felt
what I thought was bit of stone about
the size of a silver dollar.
Just as was about to toss 1t aside,
it wiggled.
1T turned out to be turtle, as I say,
about the size of a silver dollar, and
very much f1atter than the common gar
den variety of dome-shaped turtles that
play havoc with my tomatoes.
II put the little fellow in box and
went back to do more grubbing. Imagine
my surprise when I dug out another ex-
actly like the first one. The shell on these
two is dark grayish color.
What I want to know is this: Did
I dig into turtle nest, and are they
baby turtles that will grow up with
a yellow dome like shell or are they
different breed?
IF you know as much about turtles
as you do about BIRDS know I will get
an answer.
Sincerely yours, J. P. Y"
Many persons become mixed up about
turtles, tortoises and terrapins.
Only turtles and tortoises are recog-
nized by geological classification.
Most fresh-water species and all ma
rine species are called turtles, and most
terrestrial species are called tortoises.
"Terrapin" is commercial word applied
to salt marsh species such as, the dia-
mond-back. The red-bellied slider or
cooter is sometimes marketed as sub
stitute for the famous diamond-back,
and called terrapin. The yellow-backed
turtle also is called terrapin.
1t may be realized, then, that the
common dome-backed species to which
our correspondent refers is not turtle
at all, but is a tortoise. Nevertheless,
every one speaks of them as turtles, so
turtle it is, such is the power of COM
mon usage.
Small turtles sold in pet shops include
the Cumberland turtles, the painted
turtles, the geographic turtles, and the
yellow-bellied terrapin.
The Cumberland turtles have bright
green shells and wide red stripe from
the eye backward along the neck. Irreg-
ular double green rings with yellow GEN.
ters mark the lower she'll
Pond or painted turtles are small
black fellows with thin yellow stripe
down the back. This stripe is lost as the
creature grows older, and the border Of
the shell becomes mottled with red.
Geographic turtles have grayish-brown
carapaces upper shells) and yellow plas-
irons dover shells) A yellow line runs
backward from the nose, with yellow
circular lines around the eyes.
The yellow -bellied terrapin has a
dark green carapace and yellow plas-
tron marked with irregular black
splotches.
Many other turtles are found in
ponds, including the swapping turtle
which has pointed head, dull black
shell and a very much abbreviated plas-
tron. The only safe way to seize this one
is by the tail or by placing stick close
to his jaws. 1t will seize the stick, and
can be carried safely.
Common land tortoises include the
wood tortoise, which has a dark brown
upper shell, and with all f1eshy parts
except the top of the head brick red.
The box turtle, the most common in
our gardens, is identified by its hinged
shell into which it can withdraw. The
back is dome-shaped, the color brown
marked with yellow.
Box tortoises have lived for more than
so years, surviving the winters by dig
ging down below the frost line, between
IA to 18 inches, as rule.
When tortoises are first dug up, 1t is
difficult to tell what species they are,
because they are dull from lack of light
Sunshine soon brings out their color
ings. Sunlight is the great medicine for
turtles OF all kinds Lack of sunshine,
mud, lime foods and proteins cause most
diseases of turtles. Softening of the
shell may often be remedied by provid-
ing direct sunshine, and feeding crushed
pond snails or fish with the bone ground
in.