Terrapin

“ One of the most common is the lettered terrapin, which inhabits rivers, lakes, and even marshes, where it lives on frogs and worms. It is especially detested by the angler, as it is apt to take hold of his bait, and when he expects to see a fine fish at the end of his line, he finds that a little tortoise has hold of it. ”

“ At the foot of the short steps, flat on his back, head and legs wriggling like an overturned roach, lay the missing terrapin. It had crawled to the edge of the opening and had fallen down in the darkness. ”

“ Certain it is that they have traditions of birds and animals totally unknown to the present inhabitants of the earth. I do not know whether the growth upon this terrapin's back has been produced artificially or naturally. It is simply a water-grass, something like the weedy material growing on decaying wood-work and lock-gates of rivers. It is possible that the ingenious Chinese may have some way of doctoring up the living specimens of terrapins, of which I understand considerable numbers exist in the ditches and marshes of China. ”

“ He picks up a terrapin, the Emys picta, which attempts to hide itself from him in a stone wall, and carries it considerately to a pond of water; but there is not much to be found in the woods, and one can travel a whole day in the forest primeval without coming across anything better than a few squirrels and small birds. ”

“ The yellow-bellied terrapin (Pseudemys acebra) of the Southern United States, the red-bellied terrapin (Pseudemys rugosa) , native of the tributaries Chesapeake Bay (called also potter, slider, and redfender) , and the diamond-back or salt-marsh terrapin (Malaclemmys palustris) , are the most important American species. The diamond-back terrapin is native of nearly the whole of the Atlantic coast of the United States.
Alligator terrapin, the snapping turtle. — Mud terrapin, any one of numerous species of American tortoises of the genus Cinosternon. — Painted terrapin, the painted turtle. ”

“ The Jackal rewarded him with a sympathetic sigh, and said, “Friend Terrapin, my teeth are sharp and my feet are swift, but, though I am so happily endowed, I have no wings to fly. Go and seek Elephant. His strength is so great that perhaps he will be able to pull the tree down for you.” ”

“ This was a terrapin-like bug that was more than a mouthful. His body, indeed, was already out of sight, but claw-like legs protruded from both sides of that isosceles triangle [Pg 84] which a turtle’s mouth makes when it is closed, and waved a frantic farewell to the passing under-water world. The turtle was a long time in masticating his terrapin, but it was a happy time. His whole body blinked contentedly, and he waved his forelegs with a caressing out-push, a motion exactly like that of a child at the breast. ”

“ The nuchal shield is elongated and very narrow, its anterior edge and that of the neighbouring marginals are finely serrated. Very young individuals are at once recognised by the prominent longitudinal median stripe of bright orange extending over the nuchal and neural shields; the yellow transverse bands are still absent; they appear when the longitudinal line vanishes.
Fig. 76.–Chrysemys picta, "Painted Terrapin." × 1⁄2.
The "Painted Terrapin" is one of the few species of which, thanks to L. Agassiz, [132] complete data of growth from the new born to old age are known. ”

“ While the boys are in the shop I will explain, for the benefit of my readers who do not live near the water, what a torup is. It is a member of the turtle family, and closely resembles the far-famed terrapin of Chesapeake Bay, but it differs from the terrapin in that it lives in either fresh or salt water, rather preferring the fresh, and burying itself in the mud for a greater part of the time. Consequently its flesh acquires a muddy flavor that many people do not like. ”

“ No dish of terrapins can be good unless the terrapins themselves are of the best quality. It is mistaken economy to buy poor ones. Besides being insipid and tasteless, it takes more in number to fill a dish. The females are the best.
A TERRAPIN POT-PIE.—Take several fine large terrapins, the fattest and thickest you can get. Put them into a large pot of water that is boiling hard ”

“ We were fifty days sailing from Payta to the shore. Here we stayed five months, and took but two hundred barrels sperm. We then sailed again for Payta, where we recruited ship, staid a couple of weeks, and then sailed for Tombus, where we took in wood and water. When this was done, we sailed the for Gallipago Islands, where we went for Terrapin. The Terrapin very much resembles our large Turtle, only they live wholly on the land, and weigh from four to five hundred pounds. ”

“ If they pass any terrapin these will rise out of the mud to see what the disturbance is. The captives are then fattened in the "crawl." When the men go in to feed them they whistle, and terrapin from all over the "crawl," thousands of them, come swimming through the water, piling over each other in their efforts to get close to the man with the shrimps and crabs. ”

“ He bears off the remainder of the disease and the doctor declares that relief is accomplished. The connection of the terrapin in this formula is not evident, beyond the fact that he is regarded as having great influence in disease, and in this case the beads and a portion of the medicine are kept in a terrapin shell placed upon the diseased part while the prayer is being recited.
The formulas generally consist of four paragraphs, corresponding to four steps in the medical ceremony. In this case there are five, the last being addressed to the terrapin instead of to a dog. ”

“ Now he was very much surprised, and made his longest jumps to catch up, but when he got to the top there was the Terrapin away in front going over the third ridge. The Rabbit was getting tired now and nearly out of breath, but he kept on down the mountain and up the other ridge until he got to the top just in time to see the Terrapin cross the fourth ridge and thus win the race. The Rabbit could not make another jump, but fell over on the ground, crying, “mi, mi, mi, mi,” as the Rabbit does ever since when he is too tired to run any more. ”

“ The race begins, and the Deer is so bewildered at hearing the Tortoise's voice always ahead of him, that he runs against a tree and falls down dead. In "Uncle Remus" the Rabbit takes the place of the Deer, and the story ends with the Terrapin's victory without the death of his rival. In "Lippincott" the actors are Buh Rabbit and Buh Frog; but the writer remarks that another version makes the competitors Buh Deer and Buh Cooter (the Negro name for terrapin, or land-tortoise) . ”

“ The land turtle, or terrapin, on the other hand, shows scarcely a trace of fear. He will indeed pause in his walk when you are very near him, but he will not retreat into his shell till you have poked him with your foot or your cane. He appears to have no enemies ”

“ People along the Eastern Shore used to consider the diamond-back as common as dirt."
"So I was reading the other day," admitted Jerry.
"Yes, sir, so common that when men hired out they stipulated in the bond that they were not to be fed on terrapin. Then the fashionable people took a fancy for the dish, the supply ran low, and now a decent-sized terrapin is worth five dollars. Perhaps muskrats may become popular the same way, who knows?" laughed Frank.
At which the trapper roared, seemingly thinking it a great joke. ”

“ As he slowed to a more moderate pace under cover of the farther dunes, Torcred turned, still grinning, to the bird-girl. "That," he commented, "was the dangerous part."
She shivered slightly. "I was afraid," she admitted candidly.
"That's hardly as simple as attacking a mere crawling terrapin from the air, eh?"
The girl turned her face away. "That was necessary, terrapin ... I passed my fledgling examination only two days ago; it was my second flight beyond the safety zone. The novice must defeat some machine of prey in single combat, before he is accepted." ”

“ The Turkey [145] laughed at the sight and said: “That scalp don’t look right on you. Your neck is too short and low down to wear it that way. Let me show you.”
The Terrapin agreed and gave the scalp to the Turkey, who fastened it around his neck. “Now,” said the Turkey, “I’ll walk a little way and you can see how it looks.” So he walked ahead a short distance and then turned and asked the Terrapin how he liked it. Said the Terrapin, “It looks very nice; it becomes you.” ”

“ We have met no Indians of the old Aztec race; fifty Papagos would count all we have seen, and they are fast passing away judging from the dilapidations of the towns, and the numbers of empty houses. The people live on turtles, and what game they can get. I have seen some elk and antelope skins dressed and terrapin shells are everywhere. We have bought two terrapin fresh killed, some roots, and the fruit of a plant like the maguey; we have seen one or two fine horses, small, but well formed, ridden with only a rope around the neck; others had saddles; all the men ride lightly and well. ”

“ In addition to this the increased scarcity of the terrapin, especially the more famous variety of it, namely, the diamond-back, has gradually increased the cost until at the present time the terrapin is eaten only by the rich. ”

“ The plastron is yellowish, either with concentric stripes and dusky lines or uniform yellow. But it is the colour of the soft parts which gives this otherwise dull-looking creature its delicately pretty appearance. The skin is, namely, greenish white with countless small black dots. The males remain much smaller than the females, and have the concentric stripes more pronounced. This species, the choicest of the edible Terrapins, frequents the salt marshes of the east coast of North America, from Rhode Island to the Gulf of Mexico, being most abundant around Charleston. ”

“ The other Wolves were afraid to try, and they all went away, leaving the Rabbit safe in the stump.
(From Myths of the Cherokee, by James Mooney.)
HOW THE TERRAPIN ESCAPED FROM THE WOLVES
THE 'Possum and the Terrapin went together to hunt persimmons, and found the tree full of ripe fruit. The 'Possum climbed the tree and was throwing down the persimmons to the Terrapin, when a Wolf came up and began to snap up the persimmons as fast as they fell, before the Terrapin could reach them. ”

“ At distant intervals along the shore stood several of the peculiar conical huts, and as we proceeded southward the forest gradually assumed the grey and twisted look due to the force of the south-west winds.
Now, however, all was calm and still, and the Terrapin sailed on such a steady upright keel, that photographs taken the day before were developed without spilling any of the solution used from the shallow dishes. Heavy rain, with which we filled the tanks, fell during the night, and at noon next day we sighted the low island of Kar Nicobar, lying some 22 miles away. ”

“ Once, in the olden times, when the animals of the earth had the power of speech, a red deer and a terrapin met on the Black Mountain. The deer ridiculed the terrapin, boasted of his own fleetness, and proposed that the twain should run a race. The creeping animal assented to the proposition. The race was to extend from the Black Mountain to the summit of the third pinnacle extending to the eastward. ”

“ Another species—the salt-water terrapin—lives in the salt marshes and ponds. It is brown above, and generally yellow below—the lower jaw furnished with a sort of hook. The sides of the head are white, sprinkled with black spots.
The Box Tortoise.
The peculiarity of this creature is that it can draw its head within its shell, so that, as few creatures would wish to swallow such a morsel whole, it has no enemy except man to fear. It might, to be sure, run the risk of being carried off by an eagle and let drop on a hard rock, if the savage king of birds ever does perform such a feat ”

“ Turtles appear to reach a very old age, specimens having been known to have lived several hundred years. The box tortoise of our woods, the musk turtles, the snapping turtles are familiar examples of this order, while the terrapin, which lives in brackish ponds and swamps along our sea-coasts, is famous as a table delicacy. ”

“ Sneaking as close as possible to the floating log on which the terrapins sunned themselves, the hunter crept up until they became alarmed and slid off into the water, when he jumped in after them, and if the water was not more than three or four feet deep he could usually locate them by feeling about on the bottom near the log with his bare feet, when he would bob his head and his [Pg 117] hands under, and the prize would go into the sack hung about his neck. ”

“ There is another thing ever to be remembered: while at Philadelphia I was treated with a dish of terrapine, a small sort of turtle, surpassing the gigantic species in flavour to such a degree as to wholly eclipse its merits. ”

“ Into this the terrapins burrow in the winter. The average population of terrapins is about 40,000, one half "bulls" and the other half "heifers." The latter are much better eating, and grow to a much larger size, namely, eight inches on the plastron, while the "bulls" rarely grow over five inches long. When a female reaches six to eight inches it is called a "count." ”

“ The method shown in the drawing is resorted to only in the spring and in water not over a foot or two in depth. Turtles will rise at any noise, and usually the fisherman only claps his hands, though each hunter has his own way of attracting the terrapin. ”

“ Terrapin and no doubt other species of turtles could be marketed in much greater numbers than they are at present if their cultivation were systematized and markets properly handled. Both ducks and geese, while reared, so far as domestic species are concerned, very largely on land, would no doubt thrive better and get the best part of their growth on aquatic plants which form the greater part of their native food. ”