Evening star., 1946-08-09
This and That
By Charles E. Trace1OeH.

1oN, va.
Dear Sir.
In my recollection you have never
failed to help out when 1t came to
problem OF flora and fauna. Hence, I
bring my latest to you. My problem this
time is what to do, if anything, about
an expected blessed event out here on
Rock Spring road. I have, with no small
degree of success, been of some assist
ance to Mr.. and Mrs Jenny Wren. Mr..
and Mrs. Red Robin, Mr. and Mrs. Nut
hatch, Mr.. and Mrs. Coo Coo Dove, not
to mention families Of blue jays, card
inals, catbirds, one pair of quail and
what have you. But this time I am
Stumped
While wedding my tomatoes late yes
terday afternoon by pulling weeds COM
pletely out of the soft ground, l un-
earthed two white, oval eggs of what
seems to me to be the unmistakable tex
ture of turtles egg.
AT least the soft, resilient shell OF
you can call it that is very much like
that of the eggs that are laid by the
thousands by the big sea turtles down
around Miami. These eggs are about
the size of the marble with which YOU
used to play bull ring when you were a
kid, only, as I say, they were somewhat
oval in shape
Il replaced the eggs in the ground,
covered them up and am hoping they
are not snake eggs. What l want to
know Is should I do any sitting on them
ike that guy out west some place who
matched an emu egg or was it an os-
trich?
Also, would very much like to know,
ana certainly you could tell me if any,
body can, how long 1t takes a turtle egg
to hatch, and whether my disturbance
OF them is going to have an effect on
the Matching even if 1 decide to sit on
them?
Il would appreciate a prompt bit of
information from you, as 1 am all
a-twltter. Sincerely, P. j. Y"
This misSive came special delivery, but
we have delayed answering. in order to
give our correspondents ardor time to
cool off
Matching out turtle eggs is Mother
Natures job.
II let alone usually she does a good
job, too, but when nosey persons want
to help in the process, she sometimes
gives up in disgust, and who can blame
her?
Turtle eggs resemble bird eggs. The
shells are usually clear white or pinkish.
Some species have soft-shelled eggs
but some have hard-shelled ones. To
the latter class belongs the snapper.
Most Of our land turtles" really tor
toises, lay rubbery eggs, and these take
about so to 80 days to hatch out.
The spotted turtle lays her eggs in
the late afternoon or evening usually
from June Is to June 30
All the land turtles leave their eggs,
after once covering them up, to nature
Perhaps our correspondent should take
tip from the turtles
BY no means should he keep digging
them up to see if they are hatched But
he may estimate that they were laid
sometime in June, in all probability, and
should hatch out some go to 80 days
thereafter.
Baby turtles are cute" being about
half an inch long but in every other
way exactly like their parents, except
that their colors are lighter.
The wood turtle, very common one
mates in the water, as many species do,
but lays the eggs in a hollow in the
ground, covering them with leaves
Usually she lays dozen eggs.
Some snakes lay eggs, and usually they
are on the hard side. Other species give
birth to the full formed snakelets alive.
II our correspondent marks off the
site, and leaves his eggs undisturbed
some time in the future, and not too far
of, he ought to catch sight of what he
has.