LIFE HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTIONAL STUDIES of BELL * S PAINTED TERRAPIN, Gh.rysem.ys p i eta beJQjML (Gray), by George Pearson Holland, B.A. ( B r i t i s h Columbia). A Thesis Submitted i n Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts i n the Department of Zoology. THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. A p r i l , 1 9 5 7 . TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowle dgerne nt s Introduction. 1 I . C l a s s i f i c a t i o n 4 (a) I d e n t i t y 4 (b) Synonymy 4 (c) The genus Chrysemys, i t s subspecies and t h e i r ranges 7 I I . D e s c r i p t i o n . 9 (a) E x t e r n a l f e a t u r e s . . . . . . . . . . . 9 1. S h e l l 9 i i . Head. . 11 l i i . T a i l 12 i v . Limbs 12 v. Measurements of an e i g h t year o l d female specimen 13 (b) C o l o u r a t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 1. P u b l i s h e d d e s c r i p t i o n (Ditmarsj . 14 I i . C o l o u r a t i o n of B r i t i s h Columbia specimens. . 1 5 Carapace - 15 P l a s t r o n l b Head, limbs and t a i l 18 i i i . V a r i a b i l i t y i n B r i t i s h Columbia . 20 I I I . Notes on Scale Arrangement. 21 (a) Normal s c a l a t i o n . . 21 (b) Anomalies . 22 - i i -Page s I V r Sexual Dimorphism 29 (a) General d i s c u s s i o n 29 (b) Comparative measurements . . . . . . . . 3 2 V. D i s t r i b u t i o n 3 3 (a) General. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5 fb) Range i n B r i t i s h Columbia . 37 V I . H a b i t a t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 (a) Types, and r e l a t i v e p o p u l a t i o n s . . . . . 44 (b) D i s t r i b u t i o n of t u r t l e s i n a l a r g e body of water 4 6 V I I . General H a b i t s 49 (a) H i b e r n a t i o n 4-9 (b) M i g r a t o r y h a b i t s 5 1 (c) General a c t i v i t i e s 5 4 (d) Locomotion 59 (e) Feeding . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 (f) Food 61 V I I I . L i f e H i s t o r y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 4 (a) Notes on development of eggs 6 4 (b) Mating 67 (c) O v i p o s i t i o n . 69 (d) Notes on i n c u b a t i o n experiments 8 2 (e) P e r i o d o f i n c u b a t i o n . . . . . . . . . . 84 ( f ) D e s c r i p t i o n o f newly-hatched young . . . 8 9 (g) Rate o f growth . . ^ . . . . . . . . . . 9 2 1 . G e n e r a l d i s c u s s i o n . 9 2 i i . Table of specimens examined, up to the e i g h t h year. . • . . . . 1 0 0 i i i . Graph showing growth curves of C . p . b e l l i ! and three other s p e c i e s f o r comparison. . . . . IO3 (h) Longevity. . . . 1 0 6 - i l l -IX. Seasonal Growth . . . . . . . . . . (a) Annual moult (b) Growth of the epidermal p l a t e X. N a t u r a l Enemies (a) Predators. . (b) P a r a s i t e s Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . P l a t e s ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I wish to express my g r a t i t u d e to Dr. C. McLean F r a s e r of the Department of Zoology, U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h Columbia, f o r h i s suggestion of the subject o f t h i s t h e s i s , f o r advice, and f o r h i s continued and k i n d l y i n t e r e s t i n I t s p r o g r e s s . I am g r e a t l y indebted to my mother and my brother, T". L. H o l l a n d , f o r feeding and c a r i n g f o r the c a p t i v e specimens and f o r v a l u a b l e notes taken on the h a b i t s o f these t u r t l e s during summer months while I was away. To Mr. G. C l i f f o r d C a r l , M.A- and Mr. Raymond Foster I extend my thanks f o r h e l p i n o b t a i n i n g s p e c i -mens, and f o r data on h a b i t s and d i s t r i b u t i o n of t u r t l e s i n the f i e l d . I express my s i n c e r e a p p r e c i a t i o n to Mr. J . D. Gregson, B..A., M.Sc., of the Dominion Entomological Branch, Kamioops, f o r h i s u n f a i l i n g i n t e r e s t and help In the photography and other phases of t h i s work* I am indebted to Mr. F. E. M i t c h e l l o f Pender Harbour and Mr. Walter Stevens of Osoyoos f o r t h e i r h o s p i t a l i t y and i n f o r m a t i o n r e g a r d i n g the t u r t l e s i n t h e i r l o c a l i t i e s . To Mr. F r a n c i s Kermode, D i r e c t o r and Dr. Ian McTaggart Cowan of the P r o v i n c i a l Museum, V i c t o r i a , and to Mr. S. N. K i l v i n g t o n , P r e s i d e n t of the F i s h and Game A s s o c i a t i o n , Port A l h e r n l , f o r notes on Vancouver I s l a n d t u r t l e s , I extend my thanlcs. I am deeply g r a t e f u l to Dr. T. I . S t o r e r of the Department of Zoology, U n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i a , Davis,. C a l i f , f o r v a l u a b l e i n f o r m a t i o n and ad v i c e , as w e l l as f o r copies of two of h i s papers. I a l s o wish to acknowledge my g r a t i t u d e to Mr. Kenneth Jacob, B.Al.Sc, Mr, Hugh McKay, Miss U r s u l a Dale, Mr. Hugh B. Leech, B.Sc.Ag., Mr. T. K. M o i l l i e t , Mr. Morley Neal, M.A., Mr. Jimmy Law of Texada I s l a n d , Mr. T. L. Thacker of Hope, and Mr. Wm. LeBay o f the Depart-ment of B i o l o g y , U n i v e r s i t y o f Toronto,, f o r specimens and d i s t r i b u t i o n r e c o r d s . INTRODUCTION. B r i t i s h Columbia, while. p a r t i c u l a r l y r i c h i n mammal and bi r d forms, i s singularly lacking i n di v e r s i t y of r e p t i l e s , a mere dozen species being recorded. Of these, only one i s a Chelonian - not a very good representation when we consider Ontario, which has some seven or eight species of t u r t l e s , or the New England states, which boast at least seventeen species. B e l l ' s painted terrapin, Chrysemys pi c t a b e l l i i (Gray), the most northwesterly ranging t u r t l e of North America, i s apparently the only Chelonian which may be said to be indigenous to this province. Other species have been recorded, but there i s con-siderable doubt whether or not they are native. Turtles captured on Vancouver Island have been i d e n t i f i e d by Clyde L. Patch of the National Museum as belonging to the genus Damonia, which would indicate that they had been Introduced by the Chinese.-, John Keast Lord, of the B r i t i s h North America Boundary Commission, reports the Western pond t u r t l e , _ 2 -Actinemys (= Glemmys) marmorata as being common on Van-* couver Island and the mainland of B r i t i s h Columbia, Lord's specimens have since been Identified as Chrysemys picta b e l l i l . Van Denburgh l i s t s Glemmys marmorata from B r i t i s h Columbia, but his authority i s Lord's record. Ciemmys marmorata i s the common fresh-water t u r t l e of the United States west of the Sierra Nevada-Cascade divide. I t i s abundant i n C a l i f o r n i a and evidently occurs i n Washington and Oregon. This species and Be l l ' s t u r t l e are the only fresh-water Chelonians of North America to be found west of the Rocky Mountains. Dr. Ian McTaggart Cowan reports that i n 1 9 3 3 he examined an adult specimen of Ciemmys marmorata caught on the Scott Road, near Burnaby Lake, Vancouver, B. C. On A p r i l 14, I936, C l i f f o r d Carl obtained another specimen., which was found i n a brackish slough i n the Jericho golf course, Vancouver, B. C. These are the only de f i n i t e records I am able to find of this species being taken i n B r i t i s h Columbia. As no other reports have come to hand, I am i n c l i n e d to believe that these individuals were escaped captives, introduced from the United States. I once saw a crate of l i v i n g Ciemmys marmorata offered for sale by a - 3 -Chinese dealer i n Vancouver. These were intended for use as food, but many were purchased as pets - some of which doubtless escaped, and t h e i r subsequent recapture would account for such records as those of Dr. Cowan and Mr. Carl. Two specimens of the P a c i f i c leatherback t u r t l e , Dermochelys s c h l e g e l l i , were harpooned o f f Nootka Sound i n I95I. These are exceptional records, as th i s species does not generally frequent our shores, being normally an inhabitant of t r o p i c a l and subtropical seas. Thus i t appears that Chrysemys picta b e l l i i s the only species of t u r t l e occurring naturally and breeding within the boundaries of B r i t i s h Columbia. Although found i n moderately large numbers i n '• some l o c a l i t i e s , t h is interesting creature i s but l i t t l e known, and publications regarding i t are few. Material for the following descriptions of the habits and l i f e history of this species has been drawn from these scanty references and from personal observations of t u r t l e s i n their natural haunts and i n c a p t i v i t y . - 4 -I. CLASSIFICATION. •( a) Identity. Phylum . . . . Chordata Sub-phylum . . vertebrata Class R e p t i l i a Order Testudinata Suborder . . . Thecophora Superfamily. . Gryptodira Family . . . . Testudinidae Genus Chrysemys Species. . . . pic t a Subspecies . . b e l l i i (Gray), (b) Synonymy of Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i i (Gray). Bell's t u r t l e has a rather extensive synonymy, resulting c h i e f l y from the fact that i t s d i s t r i b u t i o n covers a wider range than was at f i r s t realized, and the species i s so highly variable that specimens from distant parts were regarded and described as separate species. An example i s Emys oregoniensis, based on specimens from the Columbia r i v e r , and described by Harlan. This differed from Gray's Emys b e l l i i i n i t s more i n t r i c a t e and wider p l a s t r a l pattern. Subsequent collections have shown that these two species are i n r e a l i t y one, as intergrades between the re l a t i v e devel-- 5 -opments of th i s pattern have been found. Later, the genus Chrysemys was separated from the old Emys, which had been a general sort of genus i n which a l l fresh-water t u r t l e s were placed. Regarded for a time as a d i s t i n c t species, Chrysemys b e l l i i was eventually placed as a subspecies of Chrysemys marginata, the Western painted t u r t l e , and became Chrysemys marginata b e l l i i . Chrysemys marginata was at th i s time regarded as a separate species- from Chrysemys p i c t a , the Eastern painted t u r t l e . Bishop and Schmidt reviewed the painted t u r t l e s i n 1931, and have placed both marginata and b e l l i i as subspecies of C. pi c t a . B e l l ' s painted t u r t l e , then, i s now known as Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i i (Gray). L i s t of synonyms: Emys be H i 1 Gray; Syn.Rept.Griffith's An.Kingd. l 8 j l (type l o c a l . America ?); Dumeril & Bibron, E r p i t . Gene rale, V o l . I I , 1833, p .302; Gray, Cat.Tort.Croc. Amphio.Brit.Mus., 1844, p.2.7. Emys oregoniensls Harlan; Amer.Journ.Sci., Tol. XXXI, I837, p.382, p i . (type l o c a l i t y , ponds near Columbia r i v e r ) ; Holbrook, N.Amer.Herp., Ed.2, T o l . I , 1842, p.107, pi.XVI. Chrysemys b e l l i i Gray, Cat.Shield Rept., T o l . I , 1833, p.33; Agassiz, Contr.Nat.Hist .U.S.., 1837, T o l . I , - 6 -p.439, Vol.11, pi.VI, f i g s . 8 , 9 ; Hay, Ba.traohia & R e p t i l i a Indiana, 1892, p.l86; Hurter, Trans.Acad.Sci. St.Louis, Vol.VI, I 8 9 2 , p.1 8 6 ; Van Denburgh, Occas.Pap.Gal.Acad.Sci., Vol.V, I 8 9 7 , p.3 3 ; Ditmars, Reptile Book, 1907, p.35, p i . X I I I , f i g . l . Cbrysemys oregonensis Holbrook, N.Amer.Herpetology, Ed.2, Vol.1, 1842, p.107; Agassiz, Gontr.Nat.Hist.U.S., I 8 5 7 , • Vol.1, p.440, Vol.11, P I . I I , f i g s . 1 - 3 ; Baird, U.S. Mex. Bound-. Surv., Vol.11, 1859, Rept. p.4; CopeBull.U.S. Nat.Mus., No.1, I 8 7 3 , p.53; Yarrow, Surv.W.100th.Merid., Vol.V, I 8 7 3 , p.383. Chrysemys. n u t t a l i i Agassiz, Contr.Nat.Hist.U.S. , 1837, Vol..II, p. 642. (New name for C. oregonlensis.) Ciemmys oregoniensis Strauch, Mem.Acad.Sci. St. Petersb., S.er.7, Vol.V, No.7, 1862, p. 114. Cbrysemys cinerea b e l l i i , Boulenger, Cat.Chelonlans Brit.Mus., 1 8 8 9 , p.74; Siebenrock, 2ool.Jab.rb.Suppl.10, Heft 3 , I 9 0 9 , p.461. Chrysemys b e l l i ! True, Bull.U.S.Nat.Mus., No.24, I 8 8 3 , p.35;' Cragin, Bull.ffash.burn Laborat., Vol.1, 1885, p.101; Hurter, Trans.Acad.Sci. St.Louis, Vol.XX, 1 9 1 1 , p.236; E l l i s & Henderson, Univ.Colorado Studies, Vol.X, No.2, 1913> p.115; E l l i s & Henderson, Univ.Colorada B u l l . , Vol.XV, No.6, 1915, P.263; Dice, Univ.Cal.Publs.2ool., V o l . 1 6 , No.17, I 9 1 6 , p.306. - 7 -Chrysemys marginata b e l l i i Stejneger & Barbour, .Check L i s t N.Amer.Amph.Rept., 1917, p . l l 8 ; Blanchard, Copela, 1921, No. 90, p. 6. Chrysemys b e l l i i b e l l i i Ruthven, S c i . , 39, p. 340, 1924, Chrysemys t r e l e a s l i Hurter, Trans.Acad.Sci. St. Louis, 20, p.233, pi.23, fig. 3 , pi.24, 1911. Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i i Bishop & Schmidt, The Painted Turtles of the Genus Chrysemys, Pub. 293", Z.00I. Ser., Tol.XYII, No.4, F i e l d Mus.Nat.Hist., Chicago, June 18, 1931. (c) The genus Chrysemys, i t s subspecies, and th e i r ranges. Be l l ' s painted terrapin i s the most westerly ranging subspecies of the painted t u r t l e , Chrysemys picta. The genus Chrysemys Is characterized by a smooth dark olive or brown carapace, depressed, with no trace of a keel (except i n the newly-hatched young); wide bridges, joining i t immovably with the plastron; feet webbed and with strong claws; alveolar surface of jaws narrow; alveolar groove well marked, except i n front; upper jaw notched i n front; marginal shields with red markings. The type, Chrysemys p i c t a picta, i s characterized by having the neural and costal scutes of the carapace arranged i n nearly regular transverse rows, and broadly - 8 -margined anteriorly with yellow. The plastron i s yellow and Immaculate. I t does not generally grow to more than •six inches i n carapace length. The average number of eggs deposited by a well-grown specimen i s seven. Type l o c a l i t y - unknown, said to have been England (New England ?). Range - eastern North America from New Brunswick to G-eorgia. Chrysemys piota marginata has the neural and costal scutes alternating, and not so broadly margined with yellow. Also, a dark central blotch i s generally found on the otherwise immaculate yellow plastron. Generally attains a s l i g h t l y larger size than C_. p.. pi c t a . Type l o c a l i t y - Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa. Range - central lowland, west to the M i s s i s s i p p i and the Missouri, north into Wisconsin, Michigan and north-ern New York. Chrysemys picta dorsalis i s much l i k e G. p. marginata except that a well-defined orange or yellow stripe i s present along the dorsal axis of the carapace. Carapace generally black, and plastron usually Immacu-l a t e . Type l o c a l i t y - M i s s i s s i p p i and Louisiana, Range - M i s s i s s i p p i valley north to southern Missouri. - 9 -Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i i Is characterized by the presence of i r r e g u l a r yellow crescentic markings on each of the carapace shields, and a rather d e f i n i t e , lyrate pattern, dark brown or black, on the plastron, which may be otherwise yellow or red. Also, i t appears to grow to greater size - up to nine inches carapace length. Type l o c a l i t y - unknown. Range - Great Plains west of the M i s s i s s i p p i , south-west into New Mexico and northern Mexico, northwest into Montana, the Columbia basin, the mainland of B r i t i s h Columbia and Vancouver Island, northeast into north-eastern Minnesota and upper Michigan. Note: Type l o c a l i t i e s and ranges quoted from Stejneger & Barbour, 192J, Check L i s t N.Amer.Amph.Rept., See Plate 1, f i g . l . I I . DESCRIPTION. (a) External Features. 1) S h e l l . Chrysemys picta b e l l i i , l i k e other tu r t l e s of the genus Chrysemys, has an oval depressed carapace which i s perfectly smooth, showing no trace of a keel - I D -cm i t s dorsal axis i n the adult animal. Newly-hatched specimens have a pronounced keel or f o l d which begins to f l a t t e n out immediately a f t e r eclosion. Young i n d i v i d -uals up to 31 mm. i n length, taken the June after hatch-ing, s t i l l show this ridge (PI. XVIII, f i g . 4 3 ) , but at the end of the f i r s t season of growth a l l trace of i t had disappeared. The costal scales alternate with the neurals, which are not as wide i n proportion to t h e i r length as are the neural scales of C_. p. picta. In this species, as has already been.pointed out, the neural and costal scales do not alternate, but are arranged In transverse series of three. (See PI. I, f i g . 1 . ) The plastron, which i s perfectly s o l i d , having no transverse ligamentary hinges between the bony elements, as are found i n Emys,. the semi-box t u r t l e s and Terrapene, the true box t u r t l e s , i s very nearly the length of the carapace, and extends s l i g h t l y beyond i t s anterior margin. I t Is fastened immovably to the cara-pace by broad, strongly developed bony bridges. The narrow nuchal scale has a f a i r l y deep notch, and the f i r s t p a i r of marginals are notched. The remainder of the marginals have almost p e r f e c t l y smooth edges, except the posterior four or f i v e pairs, which - 11 -may or may not have serrations on t h e i r margins. The supracaudal scales are s l i g h t l y spread apart at t h e i r junction, thus terminating the carapace i n a notch. The plastron is very s l i g h t l y notched anteriorly and posteriorly. There i s frequently a small tuberosity at the d i s t a l edge of the gular shields, and an indenta-tion at the. junction of the femoral and anal shields. Up to about the seventh or eighth year the carapace i s very f l a t and depressed, but after t h i s age, probably with the advent of sexual maturity, as most of the secondary sexual characters become p a r t i c u l a r l y evident at t h i s time, the carapace becomes more dome-shaped i n the neural and costal scale regions, the marginals remaining f l a t , and forming a f l a r i n g edge, especially i n the posterior portion of the carapace. 2.. Head. The head i n the genus Chrysemys Is small i n com-parison with other genera of pond t u r t l e s , (e.g., Pseudemys, Clemmys and Malaclemmys). I t i s pointed, with the eyes situated w e l l forward, and i s covered with perfectly smooth skin, no traces of scales being present. The margins of the tympanum are evident as faint c i r c u l a r wrinkles, immediately posterior to the angles of the jaw. - 12 -The maxillae, at the point of junction with the premaxillae, have a ventral projection which everts the homy jaw sheathing into a sharp "tooth" on either side. The mandible has a si m i l a r unpaired "tooth" at the symphysis. The t u r t l e , with i t s razo r - l i k e jaws, further equipped with these three "teeth", two upper and one lower, i s capable of i n f l i c t i n g a very painful b i t e . The l a t e r a l temporal arch of the s k u l l i s •very-broad. The head, of course, i s capable of complete re-trac t i o n under the eaves of the carapace. The neck i s not p a r t i c u l a r l y long. When f u l l y extended, the d i s -tance between the snout and the anterior edge of the s h e l l i s about two-fifths of the length of the carapace. T a i l . The t a i l i s .small and pointed, and i t s length i s greater i n males than i n females. I t i s clothed i n a series of small scales, those of the mid-dorsal row being very s l i g h t l y keeled. On the ventral surface there are no scales anterior to the cloacal opening. 4. Limbs. The limbs, especially the hind pairs, are very well developed,* They are clothed with several rows of imbricating - 13 -scales on the surfaces which are exposed when they are retracted. These scales continue as a single row on the dorsal surface of each d i g i t , which terminates i n each case (except i n the f i f t h d i g i t s of the hind limbs) In a strong, curved, ventrally-grooved claw. The ventral surfaces of the feet are invested i n a series of small c i r c u l a r scales which do not overlap each other. The portions of the limbs concealed upon retraction, and therefore the more protected portions, bear only a few poorly developed scales, being clothed mostly i n smooth tough s k i n . Extensive webs are present between a l l the d i g i t s ; and the hind feet, which are p a r t i c u l a r l y broad, are the p r i n c i p a l swimming organs. Detailed measurements of an eight year old female from Pender Harbour7 mm. Length of carapace - i n a straight l i n e . . . . . . I 3 3 " " " - along the curve 143 Greatest width of carapace - straight l i n e . . . . 113 Greatest depth . . . . . . . 42 Length of plastron . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Greatest width of plastron 76 Length of t a i l - from end of plastron 39 Width of t a i l at cloaca 9 - 1 4 -mm. Length of forelimb . . . . . 6 2 Width of manus 25 Length of hind limb. 90 Width of pes 32 Length of head and neck - extended 53 Width of head 23 Weight 3 2 5 gms. (b) Colouration. The v a r i a b i l i t y of this subspecies has already been mentioned; t h i s applies p a r t i c u l a r l y to colouration. I t seemsfrom Ditmars' description, that specimens of Bel l ' s t u r t l e from the middle States are very much less highly coloured than are our B r i t i s h Columbia variety. His description i s as follows: "Chrysemys b e l l i i , B e l l ' s Painted Terrapin. (p.30) "Carapace dark olive or brown; shields with very narrow or no yellow margins, but traversed with v e i n - l i k e yellow l i n e s . Plastron yellow, with symmetrical black markings i n the centre. (p.33) "On some specimens, the shields are narrowly margined with black. Traversing the carapace are irre g u l a r , vein-like l i n e s , usually crossing the centres., of the shields. "The markings on the under marginal shields of - 13 -the carapace are less b r i l l i a n t than with the a l l i e d .species; the red bars may be present, but they are of a d u l l hue. "The symmetrical black pattern on the plastron i s c h a r a c t e r i s t i c . The markings on the head and neck and limbs appeal to the Western Painted Terrapin, G. cinerea." (£. p_. marginata ?) (Ditmars, 1 9 0 7 , "Reptiles", The Nature Library, Vol.13, pp. JO and 3 3 « ) The colouration of specimens of Chrysemys pi c t a b e l l i i from B r i t i s h Columbia i s as follows: Carapace. The ground colour of the carapace i s dark olive green i n the young animal, shading into a greenish brown after about the ninth or tenth year. Very old animals are nearly black. The neural and costal shields are nearly always margined on the anterior and anterior l a t e r a l edges with d u l l yellow. This yellow colour i s always found on the anterior and d i s t a l margins of the marginal shields also, and sometimes found on the proximal margins. A narrow, mid-dorsal s t r i p e of brighter yellow extends from the nuchal shield... to the posterior end of the las t neural. This stripe i s margined by a thin black l i n e on each side which turns out l a t e r a l l y on - 16 -each scale, edging the yellow margins previously mentioned which border the anterior ends of the neural scales. This yellow mid-dorsal stripe i s well marked on young individuals, but becomes less evident as maturity i s reached. A highly variable i r r e g u l a r broken network of -bright yellow l i n e s , bordered with black, i s present on the carapace, with at least one branch on every scale. In some individuals, this network i s f a i r l y continuous, the branches proceeding unbroken from scale to scale. In others (especially old animals) i t i s much broken and disconnected. I t i s represented on the neural scales usually by a pair of ir r e g u l a r l i n e s , frequently branched, one on each side of the mid-dorsal s t r i p e . Each costal scale has a li n e which generally runs l a t e r a l l y , branching into l i n e s which run down the centre of each marginal scale. Sometimes, instead of having the central l i n e , the marginals are marked with unconnected yellow arcs, which are always edged with black. The whole system i s extremely variable. Plastron. The ground colour of the plastron and the lower surfaces of the marginal scales i s a b r i l l i a n t vermilion, i n young and old a l i k e . In some very old specimens the vermilion deepens to a rose shade. The colour i s always - 17 -p a r t i c u l a r l y v i v i d on the marginals, where the red colour continues around the edge of each shield to shade into the yellow of i t s dorsal surface. I t i s because of t h i s b r i l l i a n t red, characteristic of the genus Chrysemys, that i t s species are called the "painted " t u r t l e s . The plastron i s further marked with a rather i n t r i c a t e black pattern, which i s also highly variable i n i t s d e t a i l i n different specimens. I t s t y p i c a l form would, I believe, consist i n a pair of broad black l i n e s running, one on each side, from the gular scutes to the anals, weaving i n and out, once for each scale, with the most d i s t a l peak of the wave ly i n g on the junction of two scales, and the most proximal peak on the scale i t s e l f , on the mid l i n e . Some young specimens very nearly . approached this i d e a l design, but the continuity of the lines was generally broken i n two or three places, and frequently branches were present. In the older animals the black l i n e s had, with growth, s p l i t into three, four or fi v e separate elements, the spaces between being coloured yellow or pink. In some very old individuals, the design on the pectoral, abdominal and femoral scales became an irregular blotch of f a i r l y uniform gray. The pectoral and abdominal scutes i n the region of the bridges are marked with an irregular black l i n e , broken i n spots, to reveal shades of red, yellow or green. - 18 -The marginal scales are generally marked with ocellated black spots or rings. Head, limbs and t a i l . The ground colour of the head, neck, limbs and t a i l i s an olive green of a s l i g h t l y l i g h t e r shade than the carapace i n the case of the head, and darker i n the case of the appendages. The head i s marked with a series of yellow stripes, some narrow and some f a i r l y wide, and a l l edged with black. A narrow, mid-dorsal yellow stripe sends out branches, also narrow, near i t s o r i g i n by the nares, which pass over the orbits and the region of the temporal arch, where they broaden into wide stripes which run down the dorso-lateral sides of the neck. Another broad stripe begins at the posterior corner of the o r b i t , and ends just above the tympanic membrane. A broad stripe beginning below the orbit meets another branch from the lower jaw, behind the angle of the jaw, after which they continue as one along the ventro-lateral side of the neck. A mid-ventral stripe bifurcates, and sends i t s two branches along the ventral surface of the neck. The areas between these broad stripes contain narrower, p a r a l l e l stripes. - ^ -The stripes of the neck and limbs ultimately become lo s t i n the irre g u l a r yellow, green and black mottled design of the soft skin covering the viscera. The forelimbs, on their outer surface, are marked with three longitudinal yellow stripes which branch at the manus, continuing onto each d i g i t . The inner, or protected, surface (when the limbs are retracted) i s marked with short irregular stripes and spots of yellow. The hind limbs are s i m i l a r l y marked. One con-spicuous s t r i p e begins at the tarsus (ventral side), runs along the posterior surface of the leg to the base of the t a i l , proceeds along the side of the t a i l to a point just posterior to the cloaca where i t turns i n -ward to meet i t s fellow, and the two continue as a mid-ventral stripe to the t i p of the t a i l . Another prominent stripe begins at the f i r s t d i g i t , runs along the anterior edge of the leg, and t e r -minates at the point where the femoral and anal scutes meet. , A. wide branch which leaves the main trunk of this stripe just proximal to the knee joint passes dorsally. The rest of the hind limb i s marked with small i r r e g u l a r stripes or with yellow dots. The t a i l has a very narrow mid-dorsal s t r i p e , and a wider one on each dorso-lateral surface. - 20 -In very old animals, the green shades tend to become black, and sometimes the yellow stripes of the limbs and t a i l become flecked with dark red. V a r i a b i l i t y i n B r i t i s h Columbia. Although tu r t l e s from a given l o c a l i t y showed a f a i r l y wide range of v a r i a b i l i t y i n colour shades and design, i t nevertheless became apparent that t u r t l e s from widely separated l o c a l i t i e s i n this province showed more consistent differences. The series examined was not extensive enough to make d e f i n i t e statements i n this regard, but I believe that the following few points are worth noting: 1) A l l the t u r t l e s , young and old, which were from the Okanagan val l e y displayed comparatively l i g h t green carapaces. Also i n some medium and large specimens, the red of the plastron had become faded out to yellow. 2} Specimens from Texada Island showed even l i g h t e r green carapaces, and the plastron colouring was more of an orange shade. The yellow bars on the carapace were very noticeable. J) Turtles from Pender Harbour had very dark cara-paces, some being nearly black, even i n young animals. No yellow plastrons were seen, and the red colouration was generally of a deeper shade than i n specimens from - 21 -Texada or the Okanagan. I t seems probable that t u r t l e s i n isolated l o c a l i t i e s i n this province are developing into b i o l o g i c a l races. This problem merits further i n v e s t i -gation. I I I . NOTES ON SCALE ARRANGEMENT. (a) Normal Scalat1on. Normal arrangement of scales i n the genus Chrysemys, as with most of the aquatic species of the Testudinldae, i s as follows: The carapace i s covered with fi v e longitudinal rows of horny scutes - one median row and two pairs of l a t e r a l rows. A small scale at the anterior end of the carapace i s termed the nuchal scute. This i s followed by a series of five large neural or vertebral scutes, running down the mid-dorsal l i n e . On each side of the vertebrals is a series of four large costal scutes. In C. p. b e l l i i the costals alternate with the neurals, this being one of the distinguishing features separating this subspecies from the eastern £. p. p i c t a , i n which the neurals and costals are arranged i n transverse sets of three. (See P I . I , f i g . l . ) The edge of the carapace i s bordered with twelve pairs of marginal scutes, the posterior p a i r of which are termed the supracaudal or pygal' scutes. They are - 2 2 -a l l much, the same siz e . The nuchal, the f i r s t four pairs of marginals and the la s t f i v e pairs of marginals f o l d over ven t r a l l y to protect the lower surface of the "eaves" of the carapace. The middle three pairs f o l d over onto the bony bridge which firmly unites the cara-pace with the plastron. The plastron i s invested i n s i x pairs of large scales, named from the anterior to the posterior, the gular, humeral", pectoral, abdominal, femoral and anal scutes. The gulars, humerals, femorals and anals fold over the dorsal margins of the plastron, while the pectorals and abdominals extend onto the bridges, where they meet the f i f t h , s i x t h and seventh marginals. Between the fourth marginal and p i c t o r a l , and between the seventh marginal and abdominal scales on each side are situated small triangular scales which cover the anterior and posterior margins of the bridges. (See PI. VII, f i g s . 1 3 and 14.) (b) Anomalies. In the series of B r i t i s h Columbia specimens of Chrysemys picta b e l l i ! examined, I have been p a r t i c u l a r l y struck with the high percentage of variat i o n from the normal arrangement of scales as just described. These anomalies are so common that i t seems to be the exception - 23 -rather than the rule to capture normal specimens. Var-iations occur i n other species, too, hut as far as I have been able to determine the percentage of normal individuals Is considerably greater. The usual digression from the normal arrangement was i n the presence of supernumerary scales, p a r t i c u l a r l y upon the carapace. These scales may be roughly c l a s s i f -ied as of two main types. The f i r s t and most common type were small t r i -angular scales generally Isosceles, situated between costal scales, or between the fourth costal and f i f t h neural, with the base bordering the marginals, and the apex somewhere on the l i n e of separation between the two scales concerned. These triangular scales were generally, but not always, present i n p a i r s , thus preserving the symmetry of the carapace. Turtles were found with from one to fi v e extra scales of this type. Supernumerary scales of the second type were much larger and were usually confined to the neural and costal rows. They were generally irr e g u l a r i n outline and assymmetrical In arrangement. Turtles with s i x or seven neural scales and fi v e or six costal scales on one side or the other were not uncommon. Closer study of the extra scales revealed that they had apparently o r i g -- 24 -inated from the s p l i t t i n g of normal scales into two or three separate elements, and as each had subsequently acted as an independent scale, growing on a l l i t s margins, the symmetry of the scalation of the carapace was necessary destroyed. This i s well i l l u s t r a t e d i n a A female t u r t l e from Pender Harbour. The probable relationships of the various'scales are demonstrated i n the i l l u s t r a t i o n (see PI. VII I , f i g . 1 9 ) . I t seems that t h i s s p l i t t i n g up of certain scales occurs at some per-iod during the embryonic development, as newly-hatched tur t l e s were found to possess supernumerary scales as commonly as the adults. Knoll (Copeia, 1 9 3 5 , No.2) explains that the commoner scale anomalies i n the box t u r t l e , Terrapene Carolina,are generally the result of external injury, the agency usually being the brush f i r e s In which no doubt specimens of this species are frequently trapped. • Similar i n j u r i e s , more probably resulting from blows than f i r e , might account for a certain percentage of the abnormalities i n B e l l ' s t u r t l e . A\ single specimen, a yearling from Westbank, (see PI. V I I I , f i g . 2) was p a r t i c u l a r l y interesting, as perfect symmetry had been preserved although i t possessed s i x neurals and fiv e pairs of wel l developed costals. I t does not seem possible that the extra scales could - 25 -have resulted from s p l i t t i n g i n t h i s case. A l l must have developed independently of one another. Extra scales were found on the plastron i n a few cases. These were generally quite small. Some are I l l u s t r a t e d on Plate V I I I , figure 20. In any of the specimens dissected, I t was found that none of these scale anomalies was paralleled by abnormalities i n the arrangement or number of the under-lyi n g dermal bones, other than a s l i g h t d i s t o r t i o n of the mid-dorsal axis i n some cases. Ear rarer than the presence of supernumerary scales was the condition i n which certain specimens lacked, the normal number of scales. Among the ninety t u r t l e s examined, only two were found which did not possess the i r f u l l quota of certain scales. The f i r s t , a s i x year old female from Pender Harbour, (see PI.VIII, figs.23 and 24) was unique i n having the abdominal and femoral scutes of i t s l e f t side run together into a single large scale. Also, again on the l e f t side, there were only eleven, instead of twelve marginal scales. This reduction of the number of marginals i s extremely rare. The only published record, as far as I can determine, i s of a single specimen of Terrapene C a r o l i n a ( C . M. Knoll, Copeia, 1935, No. 2.). - 26 -I found one other specimen of £. p. b e l l i i which .shows reduction i n the marginals, and other scales, a newly-hatched t u r t l e from a slough near Osoyoos lake, . May 11, 19/36. This t u r t l e was so unusual i n a number of respects that i t merits a more detailed description. Although of normal width for t u r t l e s of this early age (about 22 mm.), i t was extremely short, being only 2 1 . 5 mm. i n length while other t u r t l e s averaged about 2.5.5 mm. Thus the carapace was almost perfectly c i r c u l a r i n outline. The marginal scales on both sides were only eleven i n number, and on the l e f t side there were but three costal scales. Besides two very small extra scales i n the vertebral region, there were seven large i r r e g u l a r neural scales. Of these the second was i n contact with the second and t h i r d marginals on the l e f t side. A case of neurals touching marginals Is recorded by Chapman Grant i n a V i r g i n Island to r t o i s e , Testudo tabulata, (Copeia, 1936, No. 4). Grant mentions that the only other case on record i s i n a young specimen of Chrysemys picta marginata i n the Museum of Valparaiso, Indiana.. The plastron of this specimen of B e l l ' s t u r t l e i s normal except that two small extra scales are pres-ent on the right side, one between the pectoral and - 27 -abdominal scales, at the median axis of the plastron, and one between the femoral and anal scutes. In addition to the abnormal features described, this t u r t l e had an extremely small and atrophied t a l l (see PI.IX, fig.25). I submit the following figures: Number of t u r t l e s examined.. . . . . . . . . . . 86 Number with scale anomalies . . . . . . . . . 44 Number of known females . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Number with scale anomalies . . . . . . . . . 15 Humber of known males . . . . . 8 Number with scale anomalies J Number of very young t u r t l e s (from hatching to 2 months). . . . . . . . . 29 Number with scale anomalies 12 Of the 44 tu r t l e s with abnormal scalation, 20 had small extra triangular scales i n the carapace, 19 had p a r t i a l l y or completely s p l i t neurals or costals-or both, 1 had supernumerary neurals or costals which did not appear to have been derived from the s p l i t t i n g of = 5l .2 f a = 60.0fo = 41.4$, - 28 -normal scales, 5 had supernumerary scales on the plastron, 2 had a reduced number of marginals or other scales. Thus i t appears that, i n B r i t i s h Columbia at least, only half of the t u r t l e s found have the normal arrangement of scales. The above figures suggest a higher percentage of females showing abnormalities than males, although hardly s u f f i c i e n t of the l a t t e r were examined to warrant def i n i t e statements. Grant notes, that, i n other species of t u r t l e s , the females exhibit abnormalities more frequently. The fact that as many as 41% of the newly-hatched or very young t u r t l e s examined were abnormal would indicate that, i n the majority of cases at least, these anomalies originate during embryonic development, and not as the result of external Injuries sustained l a t e r i n l i f e . Also, cuts or blows would only result i n supernumerary scales, and i n two of the specimens examined, there was a reduced number of scales. Genetic experiments to determine the heredity of these abnormalities would e n t a i l many years of study, as at least eleven seasons are required before the tur t l e s reach sexual maturity. However, examination of newly-hatched broods i n the f i e l d might reveal some - 29 -interesting relationships. Some of the more t y p i c a l cases of abnormality of scalation are i l l u s t r a t e d on Plates VII and VIII. IV. SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. .(a) General Discussion. Some species of t u r t l e s exhibit well marked sexual dimorphism, which makes the sexes readily d i s -tinguishable. Male box t u r t l e s (Terrapene)', for instance, have b r i l l i a n t red eyes and a concave plas-tron, .contrasting with the black eyes and f l a t plas-trons of the females. Male land tortoises, Testudo Iberia, have dark heads and limbs, and a pronounced bulge at the posterior end of the carapace, while the females have l i g h t e r colouration and a smooth s h e l l contour. The two sexes of _C. p. b e l l i i do not exhibit such s t r i k i n g differences, but certain characteristic features are present by means of which the sexes may be determined f a i r l y readily. As most of these secondary sexual characters only appear with the advent of sexual maturity, i t i s generally Impossible to diagnose the gender of young individuals with any degree of certainty. The carapaces of adult females are generally broader i n proportion to their length than those of males, and the dorso-ventral depth of the body i s pro-- 30 -portionately greater. This implies, of course, a greater hulk of body i n the case of the female. Females weigh approximately one-fifth more than males of the same length of carapace. Males also have a shorter and narrower plastron. These differences i n form of s h e l l do not become apparent u n t i l the si x t h or seventh year. Also, u n t i l this age i t seems, judging from the material at hand, the sexes grow at about equal rates. The females then grow more rapidly, and when f u l l y adult are considerably larger than the males. The largest male examined had a carapace 165 mm, i n length, while the largest female measured 210 mm. The heads of the few adult males examined were a l l proportionately smaller and more pointed than those of the females. This difference was not noticeable In the younger animals. The most r e l i a b l e secondary sexual character i s found i n regard to the length of the t a i l and relative position of the cloacal opening. This feature i s evid-ent i n very young animals, but becomes especially noticeable after about the fourth year. The t a i l of the male Is longer and stouter than,that of the female. The position of the cloaca i n the female i s approximately le v e l with the edge of the carapace, while i n the male - 31 -i t i s situated posteriorly to this point, and the loose skin between the cloaca and the root of the t a i l i s bulged out, due to the presence within of the retracted copulatory organ. Although the location of the cloaca may be evident enough i n young animals to be f a i r l y sure of the sex, the thickening at the base of the t a i l which i s found i n sexually mature males makes correct diagnosis doubly sure. Another character of the male which becomes appar-ent only with adolescence i s the comparatively great length of the claws of the forelimbs. A fiv e year old male from Pender Harbour had this character well marked, the claws being proportionately much longer than those of a female of similar s i z e . A s i x year old male, while showing the characteristic form of s h e l l and t a i l of adult males, did not exhibit this feature, i t s foreclaws being but very l i t t l e longer than those of a female speci-men of the same age. A l l the old males seen had long foreclaws. Thacker observes that some specimens of l i g h t e r colour, and less convex s h e l l section, were not found making nests or depositing eggs. He assumes these to be the males. Also, "one gentleman ins i s t e d that there were two kinds of t u r t l e s here (South Okanagan), the one - 32 -distinguished from, the other by being yellower, and of - much greater pugnacity." This colour difference was not apparent i n my specimens, some males having b r i l l i a n t red plastrons. Also, a l l the tu r t l e s three years of age and over showed fight upon capture, males and females a l i k e . (b) Comparative measurements of specimens, I l l u s t r a t i n g the features of sexual dimorphism. ( l ) A male and a female, taken i n mid-June, 1935 at Garden Bay lake, Pender Harbour. These two t u r t l e s were so much a l i k e i n colour-ation and design that they might have been from the same brood. Both were i n thei r sixth year, and demonstrated the secondary sexual characters of the male and female of this species rather w e l l . Male Female . 6 years 6 years Weight .211 grams 262 grams Plastron - length. . . . . .114 mm. 115 mm. " - wi dth . 65 mm. 66 mm. Carapace - length .124 mm. 120 mm. " - width . . , . . . ?5 mm. 98 mm. " - depth . 38 mm. 42 mm. Length of foreclaws. . . . .5,?, 11,10,6 mm. 4,5,7,6,5 - 33 -Length of t a i l . . . . . . . 41 mm, 37 mm. Width of t a i l at base . . . 10 mm. 9 mm. Distance of cloaca from base of t a i l 16 mm. 3 mm. Length of head 27 mm. 26 mm. Width of head . . . . . . . . 17 mm. 20 mm. At this age, i t i s seen, the sexes are of much the same si z e , and the proportional differences, though present, are not very great. These differences become more marked with Increased age, as the following two tables demonstrate. (2) A male and a female, taken May 10, 1936 i n an a l k a l i pot-hole at the north end. of Taseaux lake, Qkanagan va l l e y . The two are of almost i d e n t i c a l length of cara-pace, and are thus very convenient for comparison. The female was probably about eleven or possibly twelve years old, and the male considerably older. (See PI. I l l and IV.) Male Female Weight .468 grams 533 grams Carapace - length. . . . . .134 mm. 153 mm. ,r - width .120 mm. 125 mm. " - depth 54 mm, 6l mm. - 34 Plastron - length . . . " - width. . . . Length of foreclaws . . Length of t a i l Width of t a i l Distance of cloaca from base of t a l l . . . . Width of head . . . . . 143 mm. 80 mm. 1 5 3 mm. 84 mm. • 7 , 1 0 . 5 , 1 3 , 1 3 . 3 , 5,6.5,7,7.5, 0 mm. 7 mm. , 52 mm. . 14 mm. . 23 mm. . 24 mm. 42 mm. 10 mm. 3 mm. 26 M L . (3 ) An old male and female. These were preserved specimens, habitat unknown. The male i s the largest I ' have seen and the female, too, i s a well-grown specimen and, of course, considerably larger than the male. For convenience of comparison I have introduced a t h i r d c o l -umn i n which the female's carapace i s taken as the same length as the male's, and the other measurements are reduced proportionately. Female Male Female measure-ments reduced Carapace - length. .193 mm. 165 mm. proportionately 165 mm. ir _ width.. .150 mm. 122 mm. 128.5 mm. tr _ depth.. . 72 mm. 53 mm.. 6 l mm. Plastron - length. .185 mm. I 5 0 mm. I 5 8 . 2 mm. n _ width.. .102 mm.. 80 mm. 87.2 mm. Foreclaws.. .6.3 , 6*5, 5.2,5, 7,8,9,11, 8. 5 . 4 , 5 . 5 , 4 . 4 , 4 , 4 , 5 . 5 . 5 - 33 -T a i l 41 mm. 42 mm. 33 mm. Distance of cloaca from base of t a i l . 3 mm. 17 mm. 4.3 mm. Width of t a i l at base 13 mm. 12 mm. 11.1 mm. Width of head...... 30 mm. 20.3 mm. 26.7 mm. Both these t u r t l e s were probably eighteen or twenty years old, but I cannot say d e f i n i t e l y . V. DISTRIBUTION. (a) General. Chrysemys picta b e l l i ! ranges over a large por-tion of central North America. I t i s found commonly through Wyoming, Colorado, North and South Dakota, Nesbraska,, Kansas and Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. I t extends into western Wisconsin and I l l i n o i s , into northern New Mexico and Texas. In the northeast i t i s to be found i n southern Manitoba and western Ontario, being reported from points north of Lake Superior. Proceeding westward, i t i s recorded f a i r l y com-monly i n Montana and north-eastern Idaho. I have-heard reports of i t occurring sparsely i n southern Saskatchewan and Alberta. I t Is found i n Washington and Oregon, being f a i r l y common along-some parts of the Columbia ri v e r basin. I t ranges northward from there into the - 56 -Okanagan valley of B r i t i s h Columbia, and i s also found i n a few isolated l o c a l i t i e s on the B r i t i s h Columbia coast. This w i l l be described i n d e t a i l further on. In i t s eastern and southern d i s t r i b u t i o n i t overlaps the ranges of the other three subspecies, and intergrading forms have been described from some l o c a l -i t i e s . The intergrades have been chie f l y with Chrysemys picta marginata, the only other subspecies with a dark p l a s t r a l marking. Bishop and Schmidt found that their study speci-mens contained: (1) pure b e l l i i from west of the Mi s s i s s i p p i and from north-western Wisconsin, (2) pure marginata from Indiana, southern Michigan, south-eastern I l l i n o i s , Ohio, western Pennsylvania and western New York, and (3) a highly variable intermediate series from south-eastern Wisconsin as far north as Oconto County, northern I l l i n o i s north of Chicago, and western I l l i n o i s as far south as the mouth of the I l l i n o i s r i v e r . This v a r i a b i l i t y occurs c h i e f l y i n the relative extent of the dark coloured pattern of the plastron. "The taxonomic relations indicated are those of a ty p i c a l pair of subspecies, geographic forms which intergrade along th e i r boundary. The breadth of the area - 37 -of intergradation i n the present ease i s apparently due to the absence of physical barriers of any effect i v e -ness between the two subspecies. I t i s not impossible that the two forms have differentiated while isolated during the l a s t advance of glaciation, and that their intergradation i s due to intermingling and hybridization i n their meeting ground on t h e i r subsequent reoccupation of the glaciated t e r r i t o r y . Genetic experiments with pure stocks and with stock from the area of intergrada-t i o n would throw l i g h t on t h i s question." (Bishop and Schmidt). (b) Range i n B r i t i s h Columbia. The d i s t r i b u t i o n of this t u r t l e i n B r i t i s h Col-umbia presents an interesting problem. Turtles occur quite commonly i n two well-defined but widely separated areas, one i n the Coast region, and the other In the Inte r i o r , along the valley of the Okanagan, As mentioned In the discussion of general d i s -t r i b u t i o n , B e l l ' s t u r t l e extends westward from the Great Plains area through Idaho and Montana into eastern Washington, where i t i s found as far west as the valley of the Columbia. From here i t proceeds northward, up the va l l e y of the Okanagan r i v e r i n the Upper Sonoran Zone into southern B r i t i s h Columbia. - 38 -I t extends westward up the Sirnilkameen as far as Keremeos at least, hut not much further, I believe. Thacker says that t u r t l e s do not occur near Princeton, nor i n the Tulameen r i v e r . East of the Okanagan It i s found at Grand Forks and Christina lake, and there i s a p o s s i b i l i t y of i t s presence at Cranbrook.. Miss Ursula Dale states that her father found a tur t l e with a pink plastron some years ago at Crawford Bay, Kootenay lake, and a friend had seen occasional ones In the Arrow lakes. I have a single reference to a tu r t l e being found at Revelstoke. Thacker has "trustworthy information that they occur above Elkhorn lake,, at an elevation of over 3,500 f t . , and t h i s i s corroborated by Mr. Latimer, C.E., who Ways that he has seen them high up on the Naramata road which runs eastward into the valley of the Kettle r i v e r " . Logier states that on July 7, 1928 they were seen i n large numbers at Green lake, south-east of Okanagan lake, where they were sunning themselves i n the very shallow water over a mud f l a t . I have seen them myself i n f a i r l y large numbers around Oliver and Osoyoos (May, 1936). We found that they were extremely common i n suitable l o c a l i t i e s a l l along the Okanagan valley, but that the populations - 39 -thinned out as we proceeded northwards. Turtles were present i n most of the sloughs and lakes along the road from Vernon to Kamloops. They d e f i n i t e l y occur i n Monte lake and Madeline lake, and J . D. Gregson and T, K. M o i l l i e t state that occasional t u r t l e s are seen In a pond at the Indian Reserve, Kamloops, by the South Thompson r i v e r . This seems to be t h e i r western l i m i t of range In this area. H. B. Leech says that t u r t l e s used to be very common at Salmon Arm, but seem to be diminishing of recent years. G. M. Neal has seen them i n Loon lake, near Grinrod. G, C. Carl has heard f a i r l y r e l i a b l e reports of their presence at Chase and Notch H i l l . This i s the most northerly record I have obtained. They very l i k e l y occur i n Shuswap lake. Bell's t u r t l e i s next met with i n the Coast region - on the mainland, on Texada island and on Van-couver Island. I t i s possible that the species may have been a r t i f i c i a l l y introduced Into these areas by s e t t l e r s , but i t does not seem l i k e l y as there i s no record of such, and the turtles are extremely well established. Also, the oldest inhabitants of these areas have always known the t u r t l e s , and say that they were commoner years ago than they are at the present day. - 40 -On Vancouver Island, Director Kermode of the p r o v i n c i a l Museum has them from McCoy lake, near Sproat lake, and from Paterson lake, near Great Central lake. S. N. Kilvington, President of the Fish and Game Association, Alberni, V.I., states that "mud t u r t l e s " occur i n a number of small lakes near Port Alberni. Mrs. Neal of V i c t o r i a says that years ago there used to be t u r t l e s i n a stream i n the c i t y i t s e l f , near Yates street. Dr. Maynard (Thaeker, 1924), also an early resident of that c i t y , makes the same statement. Mr. C. F. Kaufmann of V i c t o r i a says that t u r t l e s also occur at Turtle lake, between Nanaimo and Alberni, but those existing i n Beacon H i l l Park and Langford Park are supposed by him to have been introduced. Lord (1866) of the Boundary Commission stated that t u r t l e s were common on Vancouver Island, where he records them as Actlnemys marmorata. He does not men-tion just where they occur on the island. Chrysemys picta b e i l i i occurs i n P r i e s t lake, Van Anda, Texada Island, and also i n many other ponds and lakes on the Island, according to Jimmy Law, an old resident. I searched t h i s lake (Priest lake) myself on May 20, 1934, capturing three specimens and seeing at least h a l f a dozen others. The older residents say that the t u r t l e s have always been there and were very common - 41 -u n t i l f a i r l y r e c e n t l y , but t h e i r numbers have been much depleted by the Chinese who hunt them f o r food, capturing them i n large dipnets. T u r t l e s do not seem to be known on Lasqueti, Denman or Hornby i s l a n d s . They are found over a wide area i n lakes at the north end of Sechelt Peninsula, at Pender Harbour. I saw and captured specimens i n Hotel and Garden Bay lakes, and found eggs at Kathleen lake. Y. Peter saw a t u r t l e digging a nest at Ruby la k e , and people l i v i n g at Pender Harbour state that t u r t l e s occur quite commonly i n Bear lake and Sakinaw lake. There i s also.a record of speci-mens being found at H a l f Moon Bay, The f a c t that t u r t l e s occur i n three adjacent areas on the coast, namely Vancouver I s l a n d near A l b e r n i , Texada I s l a n d and the Sechelt Peninsula, seems to be not without s i g n i f i c a n c e . How did they get there, and how were they i s o l a t e d ? I f they had migrated from the mainland to what are now Texada and Vancouver i s l a n d s i n pre-Pleistocene times, when Georgia S t r a i t was a large r i v e r , they surely could not have survived the subsequent g l a c i a t i o n of that area. The channels between the i s l a n d s and the mainland are s u r e l y too wide f o r them to have made the crossing i n recent times. They e v i d e n t l y do, upon occasion (probably - 42 -by mistake) take to the salt water, as the Fire Warden at Pender Harbour (1935) several times has seen turtles swimming i n the "salt-chuck"'.. I t seems possible that t u r t l e s might have been transported to the Islands years ago by Indians, but I have been unable to check t h i s . The presence of tur t l e s on the coast at a l l pre-sents another problem. How did they get across the mountains? Gr did they descend the Fraser valley? Turtles do not occur naturally i n the Fraser valley to-day, although there i s evidence that they may have at one time. Thaeker (1^24) observes that some years ago several stones carved i n the shape of tortoises were dug up near Yale, and one more recently near L i l l o o e t . This seems to suggest, he says, that th e i r d i s t r i b u t i o n may have been more extensive not so many years ago. I t certainly does indicate the Indian interest i n the animal, though, and seems to suggest again that the turtles might have been transported by the native tri b e s . As Dr. T. I . Storer of the University of C a l i f -ornia, Davis, C a l i f . , notes, transplantation of turtles should be kept i n mind when making new records of di s -t r i b u t i o n . People meeting t u r t l e s on the road w i l l frequently pick them up and, lat e r on, their curiousity - 43 -s a t i s f i e d , release them near some lake, possibly miles away from the natural habitat. As t u r t l e s wandering on land are generally gravid females, i t i s quite possible that the eggs w i l l be deposited at the new home, and i n a few years, i f conditions are suitable, and the young are found, new records of tur t l e s i n outlandish spots may be made. ' T. L. Thacker a r t i f i c i a l l y introduced turtles Into Texas lake. L i t t l e lake and Kawkawa lake at Hope, B. C. some years ago. He says that they have gradually disappeared - a nest of eggs containing developing embryos was dug up at Kawkawa lake by a neighbor, but they were allowed to dry up. A fisherman at Pender Harbour (1934),said that he had released about a dozen t u r t l e s into a swamp on Newcastle island, near Nanaimo, about f i v e years prev-iously. I have learned nothing of t h e i r subsequent fate. Indefinite reports have been received of turtles at P i t t or Stave lake, and on Bowen island. These, i f present, were probably a r t i f i c i a l l y introduced. (See P l y l , f i g . Z.) :• - 44 -VI. HABITAT. (a) Types, and re l a t i v e populations. 9.' £* b e l l i i , within i t s range l i m i t s , has been observed i n bodies of fresh water of nearly every con-ceivable type, with the exception of s w i f t l y running rivers or streams. At Pender Harbour and Texada Island they were observed only i n large, clear, tree-fringed lakes, and in these lakes they exhibited a marked preference for certain areas, which w i l l be discussed further on. Although found i n si m i l a r , though not so heavily wooded, lakes i n the Okanagan val l e y , they occurred more commonly i n the smaller bodies of water which were to be found i n that area. Favoured spots were the moderately large clear sloughs, to be found on either side of the road from Oliver to Westhank. The Okanagan r i v e r , passing through the f l a t stretch of country between Oliver and Osoyoos, formed many oxbows and backwaters, where logs and other d e r e l i c t timber had collected i n the comparatively s t i l l water. These were favourite haunts, and accord-ing to Mr. Stevens and Mr. Duncan the tu r t l e s would be seen i n dozens on warm summer days, basking on th i s material. They were always p a r t i c u l a r l y common at low - 4-5 -water. In May, 1936, the r i v e r was high, and only a few were seen. At t h i s time, too, I could f i n d no specimens i n Osoyoos lake, hut there were scores (mostly young, up to four years) i n an extremely muddy flood pond not two hundred yards away. (See PI.IX,,fig.26.) Vaseaux lake, we l l populated i n June, 1922, according to Thaeker. was p r a c t i c a l l y untenanted i n May, I936, but an a l k a l i pot-hole a few hundred yards from i t s north end had many t u r t l e s i n I t . By actual count, t h i r t y heads could be seen poking out of the water at one time, and s i x or seven t u r t l e s could be seen perched on a small log near shore. (See PI.XI, fig . 3 0 and PI. XII, f i g . 3 D Three large t u r t l e s were observed on a log In a shallow, d i r t y flood pond about twenty miles east of Kamloops. The water here was swarming with tadpoles of the Western toad, Bufo boreas boreas. A . large clear slough, about five miles south of Westbank, was very well populated with t u r t l e s . (See Pl.X, fig.28 and PI.XI, f i g . 2 9 . ) Here I counted over forty animals at one time, some swimming with th e i r heads out of the water, others basking on logs by the shore, or ly i n g on the large floating clumps of. Chara with which the slough was dotted. - 46 -An abundance of leeches, frogs (Rana pretiosa * pretiosa)> toads, dragon-fly nymphs, as well as water bugs and beetles, was present; no doubt these creatures were used largely as food by the t u r t l e s . In general, the bodies of water best populated with t u r t l e s were f a i r l y shallow (up to about ten feet i n depth), with a sloping shoreline and many floating logs. Areas of the ponds which were thick with aquatic vegetation always had l o t s of t u r t l e s , the vegetation probably serving doubly as food and as a source of re-treat i n times of danger. The northern, or sunnier ends of the ponds were always the most frequented. (b) Distri b u t i o n of tu r t l e s i n a large body of water. During the several days (June 13-21, 1935) I studied the tu r t l e s of Pender Harbour, I noted that the di s t r i b u t i o n of the animals i n Garden Bay lake was quite d e f i n i t e l y related to the geography of the lake. The long axis of this lake runs pretty well north and south. I t i s bounded by a much indented rocky shoreline. The water deepens rapidly from the shore ex-cept i n a few l i t t l e bays which are fed by streams at the north and west ends, where there are narrow shelving beaches, and water f i f t y feet from the shoreline may be - 47 -only four or five feet i n depth. Dense evergreen woods surround the lake right to the edge except on the north shore where they have been cleared away so that the road from Irvine's Landing to Garden Bay, which s k i r t s this margin, could be put through. The trunks of many of these cut trees l y i n g i n the water near the edges were favourite resting spots for the t u r t l e population. The several small islands i n the lake were also densely wooded. These features of the lake are f a i r l y well shown i n the photographs. (See P I . X I I I , fig.34; PI.XIV, fig.3 5 ; PI.XVI, fig.39.) A l l the t u r t l e s seen were either near the lake shore or near the l i t t l e islands. No individuals were noticed swimming i n the deeper central portion of the lake. This was due, doubtless,to the fact that more food was to be found i n the shallower waters, and also the logs, so eagerly sought for siestas on hot days, were only found near shore. Very few animals were found at the south end, which was deeply shaded most of the day by i t s margin of t a l l trees. The west to the north-east shores were the most t h i c k l y populated. Turtles of both sexes, from about five to eight years of age, were seen f a i r l y evenly d i s t r i b u t e d around this area, being p a r t i c u l a r l y common i n the l i t t l e bays, where floating logs and debris - 48 -were to be found. P r a c t i c a l l y a l l the adult females caught or seen were at the north end, basking on logs near the shore, opposite a sandbank across the road, which was later found to be a favourite nesting s i t e . The presence at t h i s point of large numbers of females was, of course, due to the fact that the egg-depositing season was at hand, and they were preparing to go ashore. Nearly every specimen caught proved to be gravid. I f the loose skin behind the bridges and i n front of the hind limbs was pressed i n , the presence of eggs In the oviducts could, readily be detected. Males at this point,, by the sand bank, were con-spicuous by t h e i r absence, as none were found at a l l . This p a r t i c u l a r area, about three hundred yards of shoreline, was apparently lacking In food material of any kind, and the bottom of the lake there was covered with large broken pieces of rock from the blasting of the road bed. Thus, the area was desirable only because of i t s proximity to the sandbank, which would Interest the females only. Hence the lack of males. Seven very young animals found i n this lake were a l l , with the exception of one which was taken from the shallows at the north-east end, caught near the shore at the north end of the lake In water not over three feet - 49 -deep. The sandy bottom here was covered with a species of Lobelia on which young t u r t l e s were found to feed readily. This material l i k e l y formed the bulk of their early food, u n t i l they were large and active enough to pursue and consume f i s h or frogs, or crush the shells of the fresh-water snails and mussels, which were common, ¥11. GENERAL HABITS. The data on the habits of this species as out-l i n e d here was obtained p a r t l y from observations made In the f i e l d at: Texada Island May 20, 1934, Pender Harbour...May 20, 21, 1934, June 13-2.1, 1935, Okanagan Yalley..May 7-I5, 1936, and partly from captive specimens kept i n small, spec-ially-constructed ponds i n Vancouver during the summers of 1934, 1935 and I936. (a) Hibernation. Like other r e p t i l e s of the temperate zones, £.. p. b e l l i i goes into hibernation during the cold winter season. On the coast at Pender Harbour, and i n the Okanagan, this takes place generally i n early or mid-October, depending upon the weather conditions of the particular year. At this time they burrow deeply Into - 50 -tlie muddy bottoms of the lakes, rivers or sloughs i n which they l i v e and undergo a period of what very nearly approaches suspended animation.. Pulmonary respiration ceases, and, unless possibly the pharynx or the vascularized walls of the accessory or hydro-s t a t i c bladders function to an extent as respiratory organs, there i s no gaseous exchange at this. time. On Vancouver Island t u r t l e s i n lakes at Alberni were observed swimming around under the ice as late as January (1936) by Mr. Kilvington. I can find no other records of t u r t l e s being active at this season, and personal observations have shown that they do not generally show any signs of a c t i v i t y u n t i l very early spring. Turtles put to hibernate In the muddy bottom of a pond i n Vancouver on November 1, 1935 were observed f i r s t on March 4, 1936. This was a sunny day but there was s t i l l i c e on the surface of the pond. About ten days of frosty weather followed this date, during which time the turtles again buried themselves i n the mud, not appearing again u n t i l early A p r i l . They f i r s t appeared at Vaseaux lake on A p r i l 22 (1922) according to Thaeker, but he says they gen-e r a l l y come out of hibernation a week or two e a r l i e r . - 51 -Specimens he introduced to Texas lake, near Hope, were f i r s t seen on A p r i l 28, 1936'. I t i s probable that a number of turtles are deceived by occasional warm days in the very early spring, and leave th e i r hibernating quarters, only to be k i l l e d by subsequent freezing. In May, 1936, a number of dead t u r t l e s ( a l l i n their f i r s t or second year) were found around the edges of sloughs at Osoyoos and Westbank. These had probably met their fate i n the above manner, as no injury of any kind was evident. Nothing could be learned from dissection, owing to putrefactive changes. (b) Migratory Habits. Lakes ?rtiich are well stocked with t u r t l e s one year may be p r a c t i c a l l y devoid of them another. Many lakes which are apparently suitable habitats w i l l have no tu r t l e s at a l l , while adjacent lakes, to a l l appear-ances similar i n essential respects to the others, w i l l be t h i c k l y populated. This fact has been mentioned i n Thaeker 1s paper, and has been pointed out to me by several people who l i v e i n areas where t u r t l e s are found. Evidently migrations take place, generally i n early spring, according to reports, but the factors governing these - 52 -are not d e f i n i t e l y known, Thacker says that shortly after the f i r s t appear-ance of t u r t l e s i n the spring they were observed moving freely about the lake shores, and on A p r i l 29 (1922) were t r a v e l l i n g across a ridge about a hundred feet high between a pond l y i n g i n a hollow a quarter of a mile away from the lake, and the main lake (Vaseaux). Almost any morning from then on, the tracks of turtles could be seen i n the dust of the road which here passes along the ridge. I believe that t h i s pond i s the same a l k a l i pot-hole i n which I saw so many tu r t l e s (mentioned under "Habitats"). Turtles observed here were of a l l ages, young and old. Thacker believes that migrating animals confine themselves for some reason to certain routes, which would account for the fact that they are not met with In similar lakes near at hand. This i s probably the only time that the males leave the water. At Pender Harbour i n June, 1935, i t was noted that Bear lake seemed to be devoid of t u r t l e s , while residents stated that generally i t was quite well pop-ulated. - 53 -In early May, 1936, i t was found that a muddy ' flood pond of some three-quarters of an acre extent was well populated with young t u r t l e s and a few old ones, while none at a l l were found i n Osoyoos lake, only two hundred yards away. Master E. Lacey, who l i v e s near this pond, informed me that he saw some t u r t l e s migrat-ing to i t from Osoyoos lake on May 5, and that he had observed them doing t h i s i n previous years. Some tu r t l e s , he states, travel from Osoyoos lake to lakes i n the h i l l s at about 2500 f t . elevation; he has frequently seen them doing this during early spring. Perhaps, shortly a f t e r the hibernation, and before breeding, the adults migrate to pools which are more suitable for the early growth and development of the young. Certainly many old nests were seen on the northern bank of the flood pond just mentioned, and none ?/ere seen by Osoyoos lake, where large t u r t l e s are supposed to be common l a t e r i n the summer. l a t e r l e v e l probably plays a part i n affecting or inducing migration-. Mr. Stevens of Oliver pointed out some sloughs behind Deadman's lake where, he stated, t u r t l e s had been p a r t i c u l a r l y common i n previous years when the water was low. I searched this area thoroughly in May,.1936, when the r i v e r was high, and i n four days - 54 -caught but four t u r t l e s , and saw only half a dozen more. (c) General a c t i v i t y . During the warm days of mid-June at Pender Har-bour, t u r t l e s were observed coming to the surface f i r s t around 6 a.m., and were seen swimming near shore as late as 7.5O p.m. During the heat of the day, especially I f there were no clouds obscuring the sun, they would be found basking on logs f l o a t i n g near the edge of the lake. At this time the head would be extended, the eyes probably closed, and the broad webbed feet spread out to their f u l l extent, thus presenting as great an area as possible to absorb the sun's rays. The carapaces of captive tur-t l e s basking on the edge of the pond became so hot that i t was painful to touch them with the palm of the hand. Turtles with their eyes closed, and apparently fast asleep on a log, are nevertheless extremely sensit-ive to the s l i g h t e s t movement that seems to s p e l l danger, and go scu t t l i n g into the water at short notice, I do not think that their sense of hearing i s well developed, as no amount of shouting would disturb them, but on July 1, 19J4 my nine captive specimens, which were a l l basking, leaped into the water i n a great fr i g h t when an aeroplane passed overhead. This might - 55 -have been due to Its shadow over the pond - i t passed very low. Their sight Is quite effective i n distinguishing moving objects up to a distance of about f i f t y feet. In capturing specimens at Pender Harbour, the method adopted was generally as follows. I approached a log, either one that projected on shore or one that could be readily reached i n the boat, as quietly as poss-i b l e . The t u r t l e s on i t of course immediately slipped into the water and made for the bottom. I then stood on the log, perfectly s t i l l , and holding a long-handled dip net of 14" diameter and |" mesh. After a period varying from two to ten minutes, the t u r t l e s ' heads could be seen above the surface of the water a few yards away, looking around, to make sure that a l l was clear. A sli g h t movement would again send them paddling f r a n t i c -a l l y to the bottom, and probably jeopardizing any hope of capturing the animals as, upon second f r i g h t , they generally swim elsewhere. However, I f pe r f e c t " s t i l l n e s s Is maintained, they do not realize that anything i s amiss, and w i l l swim back to the log, frequently to the very spot where they were before, and proceed to scramble on to i t . At t h i s time they could be f a i r l y readily caught, as they delay a moment i n getting their reverse mechanism functioning properly. - 56 -Sometimes we would approach a log quietly i n a rowboat, one man at the oars and the other at the bows with the net, and giving directions. The boat could be rowed quietly to within t h i r t y or forty feet, after which the oars were shipped and the boat floated on under i t s own momentum. At about twenty feet the tur-t l e we had set out to catch would realize that something unusual was happening and would look around "anxiously". At about ten feet distance, i t would s l i p into the water and the success of our capture depended on which direc-t i o n i t took. On other occasions they were captured d i r e c t l y and with the hand i f they could be cornered under a sunken log i n f a i r l y shallow water. In the shallow sloughs of the Okanagan valley, they were quite re a d i l y captured by means of a dip net i f one were to wade out a few yard's from shore. (See Pl.X, fig.27. ) In a l l cases the newly-captured turtles showed f i g h t . The a i r was expelled from the lungs with a loud hiss and the jaws gaped continuously and struck at any-thing that came within their reach, b i t i n g v i c i o u s l y . Adult t u r t l e s had jaws capable of i n f l i c t i n g a very painful b i t e . - 57 -The limbs were not retracted, but scratched v i o l e n t l y , making the animal extremely d i f f i c u l t to hold without the skin being torn from one's hand. Always the contents of the bladders were released upon capture, and i n the case of males the penis was f r e -quently extruded from the cloaca. I f placed on the shore they immediately travelled o f f at a great rate, head outstretched and the plastron r a t t l i n g and banging over the rough ground. I f placed out of sight of the water, released, t u r t l e s did not always immediately travel d i r e c t l y to-wards i t , sometimes wandering i n the wrong direction for a hundred yards or so - but eventually they always turned and ultimately found the lake. I f turned on their backs, newly captured active animals, especially young ones, were nearly always cap-able of righting themselces even i f placed on f a i r l y smooth ground. This turning over i s effected by the outstretched head and neck, and the hind limb of one side. In the photograph (see PI.XVIII, fig.43), one of the babies i s just getting poised to f l i p right way up. Captive t u r t l e s spent most of the sunny part of the day basking on the highest edge of the pond (see PI.XIX, f i g . 4 5 ) ; frequently one would be lyi n g on the back of another. On one occasion three were seen p i l e d i n t h i s manner, the largest at the bottom, the smallest at the top. On d u l l , cold or rainy days, the tu r t l e s were seldom seen as they did not leave the water, only com-ing to the surface occasionally to breathe. The frequency with which they came to the surface varied with the temperature: the colder the day, the less often i t seemed necessary to respire. In the f i r s t cold spells of September they would frequently stop at the bottom of the pond for one or two hours at a time, whereas on warm, d u l l days i n July they would come to the surface every few minutes, and seldom stop below more than ten minutes at a time. At night they generally stopped at the bottom, head and limbs retracted, coming up to the surface at lengthy Intervals. I f a f l a s h l i g h t were shown on the surface of the water they would a l l come up and swim into the lighted area. A few usually spent the night at the edge of the pond, under overhanging clumps of grass, with just the n o s t r i l s and eyes projecting above the surface. - 59 -(d) Locomotion. Unlike the ungainly and slow-moving land tortoises, these terrapins are extremely swift i n a l l their movements, especially i n the water. Even on land they are capable of moving along two or three times as fast as land tortoises of equal size. In swimming they use p r i n c i p a l l y the powerful hind legs, using them i n alternation, not i n conjunction as with the frog. The forelimbs are used i n alternation with the hind - that Is, the l e f t forelimb and right hind paddle simultaneously, then the right fore and the l e f t hind, and so on. As the hind limbs are larger and more extensively webbed than the fore, the t u r t l e ' s path through the water when at top speed Is rather zig-zag, i t s longitudinal axis being deflected f i r s t to the right and then to the l e f t . The head i s always extended i n swimming, espec-i a l l y when coming to the surface. Once the surface i s reached, a l l the limbs are extended, preserving balance, and the t u r t l e floats with i t s n o s t r i l s , eyes and some-times the anterior t i p of the carapace projecting above the surface. In descending, the hind legs are used simultaneously i n a single reversed paddle,, thus drawing the t u r t l e backwards, below the surface, whereupon the head i s tipped down' and the animal proceeds forward or - 60 -down as i t pleases. The limbs are used i n the same alternating manner when on land - the fore end of the plastron i s raised above the ground, while the hind end t r a i l s along, unlike the tortoises, which raise themselves completely above the ground. One rather weak and s i c k l y animal could not right i t s e l f i f placed on i t s back i n the water, and paddled f r a n t i c a l l y around the surface, upside down. (e) Feeding. Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i i i s not capable of con-suming i t s food out of the water. Tame specimens would leave the pond to take an earthworm held before them, but would always r e t i r e to the water to eat i t . Food, was always consumed i n a series of vigor-ous gulps. I f the morsel were too large to be swallowed whole, i t would be grasped firmly by the jaws and the forelimbs would be used to tear away the greater portion of i t , the small b i t retained being swallowed. In stalking l i v i n g food the turtles always exer-cised, extreme caution, creeping or slowly swimming up to i t and then making a frantic snap with their powerful . jaws. Captive t u r t l e s fed well upon a varied diet from - 6l -late A p r i l u n t i l mid-September. The greater part of the feeding was always done i n the l a t e afternoon when the direct sunlight had l e f t the surface of the pond. This species of t u r t l e i s apparently omnivorous i n i t s diet, readily accepting a wide variety of plant and animal food. (f) good. I have not examined stomach contents of Chrysemys picta b e l l i i , but have observed individuals i n the f i e l d consuming: trout f r y , foliage of an aquatic species of Lobelia flowering above the surface. Captive specimens fed readily upon the following mater-i a l s , which are found i n the i r native haunts: Fish . . . . . .trout f r y , lampreys. Amphibians . . .Rana aurora aurora Hyla r e g i l l a Ambystoma macrodac tylum a l l l a r v a l forms frog and salamander eggs. - 62 -Molluscs . . . .fresh-water mussels ("Anodonta ?) water snails - Planorbis sp. Limnaea sp. small slugs. Annulates. . . .leeches. Insects. . . . .nymphs of dragon and damsel f l i e s caddice larvae larvae and adults of diving beetles water boatmen and back-swimmers mosquito and Chlronomid larvae. Isopods Phyllopods Plants water l i l i e s Myrio phyllum Elodea grass. Other food which was readily accepted consisted of: earthworms, Lumbricus sp. "whiteworms", Enchytra ants and pupae pupae of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera adult beetles and bugs earwigs f l i e s meal worms (Tenebrio molitor) - 63 -grasshoppers chopped beef, and l i v e r shrimp meat leaves of lettuce and cabbage. Thaeker found masses of vegetable matter i n the intestine of a female which had been crushed by a car. This proved upon examination to be the young tips of tules, Scirpus l a c u s t r i s occidentalis. He also noted i n one pond that the young growth of tules i n deep water had been eaten o f f , presumably by t u r t l e s . Mr. De B. G-reen says that t u r t l e s regularly clean out cooking pots set to soak i n Elkhorn lake. Mr. Stevens of Oliver says that turtles are a great nuisance to fishermen, frequently nibbling at their bait, and i f caught are very d i f f i c u l t to get off the hook. In the examination of eighty-six stomach con-tents of C. £. pic t a , Surface found the following, which are interesting for comparison: algae, moss, stems, leaves, seeds, grass, slugs, snails, mussels, dragon f l i e s , crickets, bugs, larvae of Lepidoptera, f l i e s , beetles, rose bugs, wasps, ants, fragments of f i s h and mammals. The European pond t u r t l e , Emys orbic u l a r i s, regularly attacks f i s h , b i t i n g chunks out of their - 64 -b e l l i e s . The Eastern, snapping t u r t l e , Chelydra serpen-ti n a , and the a l l i g a t o r snapper, Macrochelys temminckii, make a practice of seizing the legs of water birds as they paddle on the surface of ponds, and dragging them down. Mr. Vincent Green of Osoyoos declares that Bell's t u r t l e does th i s to young geese. (?) VIII. LIFE HISTORY. (a) Motes on development of eggs. I have not been able to determine d e f i n i t e l y the age at which Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i ! becomes sexually mature, but i t i s probable that the f i r s t eggs are l a i d i n the eleventh year, as with C_. p. picta. Agasslz studied the l a t t e r i n great d e t a i l over a period of years, and makes some Interesting notes. He states that although oviposition does not take place u n t i l the eleventh year, copulation commences i n the seventh. He goes on to say that up to the seventh year, the eggs i n the ovaries are a l l much of the same small s i z e , but at that time a group of eggs, correspond-ing to the average number l a i d by young adults of the species In question, shows more advanced growth. In the eighth year, another group of approximately the same number begins to develop, and the f i r s t group grows more extensively. F i n a l l y , i n the eleventh year, the eggs of - 65 -the f i r s t group are mature, and there are three other groups of graded size representing the eggs which w i l l be l a i d during the succeeding three years. With each following year a new set shows advanced growth, the eggs commencing the development which requires four years before they are mature and ready for f e r t i l i z a t i o n . Agassiz explains that these sets of eggs are started on the i r development by the mating which occurs i n the seventh year, and that three successive copula-tions are required to produce a new individual. Surely i t i s more l i k e l y that the development of the gonads, which commences i n the seventh year, i s the factor which Induces the urge to copulate, and that this has no f e r t i l i z i n g effect u n t i l the eleventh year, when the f i r s t set of eggs i s mature. The secondary several, characteristics become apparent around the seventh year also, I t i s worthy to note. Males of £. p. b e l l i ! i n t h e i r sixth and seventh years were observed courting a female. This i s described i n d e t a i l under "Mating". The s i x year t u r t l e corres-ponds to a seven year specimen of C_. p. picta with Agassiz, as he counts the long embryonic period as part of the f i r s t year, and t u r t l e s hatching i n the autumn and hibernating; that winter are regarded as one year old, C. p_. b e l l i i apparently does not hatch at this time and I - 66 -have calculated the age In a different manner. See dis-cussion of t h i s under "Rate of Growth". I t has been noted i n adult female specimens of G . 2* b e l l i i that there are groups of developing eggs i n the ovaries corresponding to the average number l a i d , as Agassiz states. A 2,0/3 mm. female, when opened, was found to con-tain thirteen large yolks, 11 mm. i n diameter, which no doubt represented her lay for next year. The smallest number of eggs l a i d by this species of which I have heard i s seven. A 177 Emu female (which i s a rather small specimen) contained eight f u l l y developed eggs and shells. A- small female, 155 mm., which I believe to be just eleven years o l d , (see PI. I l l and IV) was found to contain developing groups of eggs i n her ovaries as follows: Ovary Size o f egg Left Right Total 11 mm. . .. 5 . . 3 . . . 6 9*3 B i n . . . 1 . . 6 . . . 7 8 mm. . . . . . . . . . 2 * . 6 . « o 8 5-6 mm. . . . . . . . . . 4 . . 4 . . . 8 „5 mm, to 2.5 mm.- • large numbers-(See PL. I I , f i g . 4.) - 6 7 -This means, then, that her f i r s t lay would com-prise s i x eggs, a very l i k e l y number. I t w i l l be noted that the succeeding groups show a greater number. It i s possible that the males may produce func-t i o n a l gametes as early as t h e i r s i x t h or seventh year, but I have not checked t h i s . (b) Mating. I have very l i t t l e data on the mating a c t i v i t i e s of Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i ! . I have never observed tur-t l e s i n the act of copulation, and have not been able to locate anyone who has. There do not seem to be any pub-lished descriptions. Thaeker makes the following observation, which perhaps Indicates the season of court-ship r "On one occasion, May 11, we recorded a large individual acting i n a peculiar way with two smaller ones, and a friend reported that he saw one chasing others i n a pond at Osoyoos, May 10." (1922) A circumstance occurred among my captive speci-mens on September 4, 1934 which i s worthy of description i n t h i s regard., September 4 was a p a r t i c u l a r l y warm sunny day, fallowing a period of d u l l weather. In the early afternoon two male t u r t l e s (one s i x , the other seven years old.) from P r i e s t lake, Texada Island - 68 -appeared to be i n a great state of excitement. They kept swimming around and around a large female t u r t l e (also from Texada). P e r i o d i c a l l y one or the other would stop, facing the anterior end of the female; he would then draw i n his head, extend the forelimbs straight forward, and vibrate h i s long claws i n her face. The female would snap at the extended limbs of her su i t o r , whereupon he would f r a n t i c a l l y swim backwards, using only the hind limbs. Then he would swim around her a few more times, again approach her head and repeat the procedure of vibrating his forelimbs. The r i v a l males frequently bit savagely at each other, or at any of the other turtles which approached to see what was going on. This peculiar performance lasted for about ten minutes, but no actual copulation took place. Afterwards I noticed the males following the female closely as she swam around the pond, but the courtship, i f such i t was, was not observed again u n t i l September 6, when the same procedure was repeated. The late date of t h i s courtship may possibly be explained by Agassiz's observations made on other species of t u r t l e , p a r t i c u l a r l y Chrysemys pi c t a picta. He states that although turtles lay but once a year, copulation regularly takes place twice, once i n early spring and once i n the autumn, prior to hibernation. - 69 -On June 17, 1935 at Garden Bay lake, one t u r t l e was seen closely following another. I was unable to capture these animals, so am uncertain of th e i r age and sex. They appeared to be about seven years old. (c) Qviposltion. Later on i n the spring the female tu r t l e s leave the water to deposit t h e i r annual clutch of eggs on shore. Study of t u r t l e s i n the f i e l d at this season, and of a number of nesting s i t e s , revealed some interesting and si g n i f i c a n t facts i n connection with t h i s procedure. 1) The nests are always prepared during late afternoon or evening, never during the heat of mid-day. 2) The eggs are always deposited i n a spot containing su f f i c i e n t moisture below i t s surface to prevent their subsequent desiccation. 3) A. preference i s shown for certain l o c a l i t i e s and types of s o i l . A t u r t l e may dig her nest a few feet from the lake edge, or may wander hundreds of yards before finding the Ideal spot. A coarse sandy s o i l i s the favourite medium i n which to dig. 4) The eggs are not always deposited i n the f i r s t nest -attempted. Several holes may be commenced before laying takes place. The t u r t l e may return to the water, and try again next day. - 70 -5) The nest i s always prepared near the north end of the lake or slough., 6) In the majority of cases i t i s dug i n a sloping bank, facing south, so that a maximum of heat and duration of the sun's rays may be realized. Sometimes the nests are prepared i n l e v e l ground, but never, as far as I can a s c e r t a i n on a slope facing north. On May 2.0, 1934 at 4.30 p.m., I found a large female on the road at the north end of Hotel lake, Pen-der Harbour. When picked up she released considerable quantities of water so I concluded that she had not yet deposited her eggs^ as the bulk of the water supply i s u t i l i z e d i n the construction of the nest. On th i s same day I discovered several attempted nests along the edges of this road. Holes an inch and a h a l f i n diameter, and up to four inches depth had been dug and l e f t . Either the s o i l had proved unsuitable, or the t u r t l e s had been disturbed before completing oper-ations. I am inclined to favour the former theory, as I was t o l d that no-one had been along, t h i s road for several days, and also that i t was a regular thing to find these holes each spring. Also, t u r t l e s busy pre-paring t h e i r nests are not readily deterred from their task, and nothing short of actual handling w i l l induce them to leave. - 71 -Thaeker found his f i r s t nest on May 31 (I922) at Vaseaux lake, Okanagan valley. This nest, which seems to have been constructed i n much the same manner as those I observed at Pender Harbour, contained seven eggs. The largest number of eggs he found i n any one complement was thirteen. At Garden Bay lake, where most of my data was ob-tained, the favourite spot for oviposition was a sloping sand bank by the road edge, varying from ten to t h i r t y yards from the water, and at the north end of the lake. (See PI.XVI, fig.39.) This bank was bathed i n the sun's rays from 7.00 a.m. to about 3.30 p.m. (June, 1935). Mr. p. S. M i t c h e l l f i r s t pointed out t h i s bank to us (June IS") and explained that he had seen t u r t l e s preparing t h e i r nests there. He showed us small holes that had been dug, and said that the turtles did not always deposit their eggs on the f i r s t attempt, and that i f the s o i l turned out to be too hard, too stony or too loose, they would leave and return to the lake, probably coming back the next day to try again. We searched carefully for completed nests but, so well were they concealed, were unable to discover any at that time. Mr. M i t c h e l l , who had resided at Pender Harbour for some years, stated that he frequently found t u r t l e s - 72 -wandering hundreds of yards from, the water. A nest deposited i n his garden (June 20, 1933) contained thirteen eggs. At 6.00 p.m., June 16, 1935 we found a t u r t l e digging a hole i n the middle of the roadway leading into Mitchell's property at the north end of Garden Bay lake, and about t h i r t y yards from the lake edge. (See p i . ± 7 , figs.37 and 38. ) The forelimbs were planted firmly on each side, the head extended and the t u r t l e facing u p h i l l (north). She had already dug a shallow depression In which she was l y i n g . She then proceeded to excavate the "neck" of the nest hole i t s e l f . Water from the bladders was f r e -quently used to moisten the ground, and while the l e f t foot was extended the right was used to scoop out a small hole about one and one-half inches i n diameter. After about fiv e strokes with the right foot, the l e f t was substituted, the earth being picked up i n "handfulls" and placed a l i t t l e way from the edge of the hole. Occasionally the t u r t l e paused to rest, or to extend the hind limbs and sweep away the accumulating p i l e s of s o i l . She did not pause i n her work or show any i n c l i n a t i o n to leave even when closely approached for photographing. (See PI.XT, figs.37 and 38.) - 73 -After digging to a depth of about two and one-• ha l f inches, she was forced to stop as further progress was made inpossible by the presence of a large stone which she could not dislodge. Having once abandoned her nest, she made for the lake i n a great hurry. When picked up she Immediately released the remainder of the water store. On June 20, at 7.I5 p.m., I stumbled upon a tur-t l e at Garden Bay lake which was just beginning a nest, about twelve feet from the water. She Immediately l e f t , and headed for the lake. On June 18, at 4 .30 p.m., I star t l e d a very large t u r t l e (210 mm.) just as she was beginning to dig. This was at Hotel lake. She made fra n t i c e f f o r t s to get away but I carried her back to our campsite at Garden Bay lake and there released her i n the hope that I might see her again, and possibly obtain her clutch of eggs. On June 20 at 7.40 p.m. we found her again, just commencing operations In the sandbank previously men-tioned, at the north end of the lake, and about twenty yards from the water. Fortunately this time we saw the t u r t l e before she saw us, and were careful not to disturb her. At the time we found her she had scooped out a shallow depression i n which she was l y i n g . I imagine - 74 -that she had already been working some fiv e or ten min-"utes. Her procedure i n digging the nest was id e n t i c a l with the t u r t l e observed on June 16 - head extended, forelimbs widespread, and scooping out the moistened sand with her hind feet, a few pinches being removed and • placed to one side f i r s t with the l e f t and then with the ri g h t . At irr e g u l a r intervals she would pause for half a minute or so to push the p i l e s of s o i l away from the edge of the hole. The cavity was dug i n the shape of a flask., the neck being about one and three-quarters Inches i n diameter and about two inches i n depth. The depth, of course, was limited by the length of the. animal's hind, limbs, as was the inside diameter of the nest, the t u r t l e straining her utmost to scoop out as much sand as possible. P e r i o d i c a l l y she paused i n her work to moisten the s o i l with water, a large supply of which she carried i n her accessory bladders. This had the effect of holding the rather dry sand together so that the sides of the hole did not cave i n . The entire operation of digging occupied forty minutes. At 8.20 p.m. she drew i n her head, and with some l i t t l e e ffort extruded her f i r s t egg. The right hind limb was then extended down into the nest and the egg shifted into position. The eggs were deposited i n - 75 -f a i r l y rapid succession, at intervals varying from half a 'minute to two or even three minutes. After each egg was l a i d , the head was again extended and one of the hind limbs used to arrange the egg i n the nest, as shown on PI. XV, f i g . 36. At 8.45 p.m. she hurriedly began to r e f i l l the holesweeping a l l the sand which had been removed back i n . Occasionally she stopped to pack i t down with her broad hind feet. F i n a l l y , when the nest was f i l l e d , she moved backwards u n t i l she was d i r e c t l y over i t , and then patted the loose s o i l f l a t by repeated blows of her plas-tron. She finished the operation by turning around several times, and roughening the surface by scratching with her claws, even managing to r o l l a small stone over the top of the nest. Then, at 9.00 p.m., apparently s a t i s f i e d that a l l was i n good order, she made for the lake edge. When she was picked up, no water or urine was expelled, thus Indicating that her complete supply had been u t i l i z e d i n the nest construction. When released, she travelled to the lake edge and plunged i n , but for half a minute or so could not manage to get below the surface, her s p e c i f i c gravity had been so lessened by the loss of eggs and water. After a furious struggle, during which time no doubt she was r e f i l l i n g her hydro-'static bladders through the vent, she managed to sub-merge, and swam quickly out of sight i n the waning l i g h t . The actual s i t e of the nest was d i f f i c u l t to determine, although I had watched i t being prepared. Except for a s l i g h t dampness of the ground at that point, and the small stone mentioned, there was nothing to Indicate i t s presence, but for two shallow depress-ions about seven inches apart, where the forelimbs had been placed. We took advantage of t h i s fact the follow-ing day when looking for other nests - searching for pairs of depressions, and then digging cautiously about eight inches behind them. Subsequent examination of the nest revealed a clutch of fourteen moist slimy eggs, neatly arranged i n three layers, with ample a i r space between the eggs. The eggs were perfectly white, and e l l i p t i c a l i n shape. The s h e l l was not very highly c a l c i f i e d , being parchment-like i n texture. In size they averaged 32 mm. by 20 mm., and varied from 33 mm. by 19.5 mm. to 50mm. by 22.5 *nm.- (See Plate XVI, f i g . 40.) I f exposed to the atmosphere, especially In the sunshine, they readily l o s t water by evaporation, and - 77 -caved i n on one side. On June 21 ( 9 . 0 0 a^ m. )• a nest was discovered which, had been p a r t i a l l y uncovered the previous after-noon. The eggs, sixteen i n number, were not more than an inch below the surface, and had become so desiccated i n that short time that eleven were almost completely s h r i v e l l e d up, and the remaining f i v e were dented s l i g h t l y . I t seems that they must remain at a depth where the sand or s o i l i s s l i g h t l y damp. In a l l , f i v e clutches of eggs were found In this hank (see PI.XVII, fig.41), as follows: 1) June 20, 193 5 - 14 eggs 2) June 21, 1935 - 14 eggs 3) June 21, 1933 - 14 eggs (2 broken i n finding) 4 ) June 21, 1935 - 16 eggs (11 ruined by desiccation) 5) June 21, 1935 - 20 eggs (9 broken). This l a s t clutch of twenty eggs i s by far the largest number recorded i n B r i t i s h Columbia, as far as I know. The maximum given by Logier (I932) i s thirteen. On June 27, 1935, several large t u r t l e s (from Pender Harbour) Yi/ere found wandering around the ""turtle pen" s apparently searching for a suitable spot to ovi-posit. Their procedure was rather Interesting, the ground being tested by scratching with the fore claws. However, the s o i l did not seem to be up to standard, as - 78 -only two or three holes were commenced, and as far as I -know only one completed. This was discovered on July 2. The nest had been prepared sometime during the two pro-ceeding days, and contained at least a dozen eggs. The top layer of eggs was not more than two inches below the surface. This was, I believe, the only clutch of eggs deposited i n the natural way among my captive specimens. The other captive specimens wandered around for weeks, occasionally beginning to dig holes, but never completing them. On July 23 I found three eggs on the grass at the end of the pond. There had been no attempt, made to bury these. They were deposited around 2.30 p.m. On August 7, three more eggs were l a i d i n the same manner. In September, 1935, when the pond was emptied I found the broken shells of at least half a dozen others. As I saw some of the t u r t l e s b i t i n g at these shells, I Imagine t h e i r contents must have been consumed by the animals themselves. There i s a p o s s i b i l i t y that i n some cases eggs may be released into the water i n their natural haunts as, on June 16, at Kathleen lake, Pender Harbour I found one perfect egg, and the broken shells of four others, i n water a foot deep at the north shore. There i s a p o s s i b i l i t y that these might have been deposited i n - 79 -the natural manner i n the steeply sloping hank of the "shore, and that these portions had r o l l e d into the water when the nest was robbed by some predatory animal. Careful examination of the bank, however, revealed no evidence of any such nests. I t i s interesting to note that although the residents state that this lake i s usually quite w e l l populated with t u r t l e s , I saw none at a l l during a careful survey of i t s margin on a bright and sunny afternoon, when the animals should have been very much i n evidence. Possibly a migration had been prompted by some unknown factor - perhaps the same fac-tor that caused one female to lay her eggs i n the water instead of preparing a nest on shore. The fire-warden at Pender Harbour said that he had seen t u r t l e eggs lying on the surface of the ground behind the schoolhouse at Hotel lake. I t i s problemat-i c a l as to whether these eggs had been deposited on the surface, or buried i n the orthodox manner and subsequently dug up by some other creature. Ho fresh nests were discovered during the week spent i n the Okanagan (May 7-14, 1936), but the remains of old nests were apparent i n a number of places. They were generally found i n f a i r l y large numbers, i n groups, and i n a l l cases at the northern end of the body of - 8o -water which, was the home of the t u r t l e . Most of the • nests were f a i r l y close to the water, up to about tvjo hundred feet from the shore. Although turtles have been known on occasion to t r a v e l goodly distances from the water, t h i s i s evidently not the general procedure. The old nests i n the Okanagan consisted of open holes, two or three inches deep, with broken egg shells l y i n g around, some i n the hole and some around the edge on the surface of the ground. Some of the holes were so thoroughly excavated and the egg shells so scattered around that i t seems more probable that they had been robbed by weasels or skunks. Surely newly-hatched t u r t l e s would not displace much s o i l when leaving their nests . (See PI.XII, fig.32. ) Nesting sites were found on the banks of the muddy slough at Osoyoos, previously described; at the north end of Vaseaux lake; near Deadman's lake, between Oliver and Osoyoos; and near Westbank. I t has already been noted that under captive con-ditions t u r t l e s may release their eggs into the water or deposit them on the surface of the ground i f the surroundings are not suitable i n some way for normal ovi-posit! on. I also, found that i n some cases a l l or a number of the eggs may be retained i n the body, and not l a i d at a l l . - 8i -A specimen, 177 mm. carapace length, habitat un •known, purchased i n October, 1932 died, probably from starvation, on November 26 of the same year, when dissected, this t u r t l e was found to contain eight f u l l y formed eggs, four i n each oviduct. These eggs, which had evidently been retained since the previous spring, were placed i n a dish of moist sand, and kept i n a warm room for several weeks. At intervals of eight to ten days an egg was opened to ascertain i f any development was taking place, but there was no sign of any embryo, and the yolks had become coagulated and hard. The large female which was found on the road at Hotel lake, May 20, 1934 (see page 70) was kept i n cap-t i v i t y for the rest of the season, but as far as could be determined never deposited her eggs. This specimen did not survive the winter, dying on January 28, 1934. When dissected I t was found that the right oviduct con-tained three eggs with shells, which had become com-pressed together i n a s o l i d mass. She evidently had retained them for eight months, although she must have l a i d some eggs during that time as a t u r t l e of her dimensions (203 mm.) should be capable of depositing at least a dozen eggs. The ovaries contained developing eggs of a l l sizes, and notably thirteen of 11 mm. - 82 -diameter, which, no doubt represented her 1935 quota. (d) Notes on incubation experiments. An attempt was made i n the summer of 1935 to incubate a number of t u r t l e eggs under conditions par-a l l e l i n g those of the natural habitat, i n order to determine the period of incubation and date of hatching. A. number of t u r t l e eggs, found at Pender Harbour on June 20 and 21, were carefully transported to Vancouver i n moist sand. (See PI.XVII, fig.41.) There they were buried inside the enclosure where I kept my captive animals, i n what was apparently an ideal spot, with a f a i r l y good supply of sunshine. They were buried (June 22.) i n holes four or five inches deep, scooped out i n a flask-shaped form, and f i l l e d with the sandy s o i l brought back with them from Pender Harbour. After being arranged i n the holes they were moistened, as some showed signs of drying out. P e r i o d i c a l l y eggs were removed and opened, to see if. any development was taking place. Embryos found were fixed i n Bouin's, and preserved i n 70fo ethyl alcohol. I t was noted that the eggs took up moisture from the ground, and became extremely turgid. Their proportions actually increased, the calcareous s h e l l - 82 -covering the egg membrane checking and cracking i n some cases to allow f o r t h i s expansion. An egg removed on August 18 measured 31 mm. by 24 mm., and when opened squirted a jet of water for several feet. I was not able to incubate these eggs to hatch-ing, and the largest embryo obtained (12 mm.) on August 23, although well developed, showing the d i g i t s , scales of the s h e l l , etc., was s t i l l a long way from the size of a hatching t u r t l e . (See PI.VI, fig.12.) Unfortunately, this was a very rainy summer, and the plot of ground where the eggs were buried held the moisture a l i t t l e too well, which probably accounts for the fact that development was so slow, and eventually a l l the eggs died, collapsed and became covered with mould. I append here a l i s t of dates and notes which are of interest i n this connection: Date :No. of : eggs : opened Remark s July 3 2 No apparent development. July 22 : 1 Small embryo, apparently dead. Yolk thick and coagulated. July 28 : 1 Living embryo, of much same appearance as 72-hour chick. - 8 5 -Date :No. of : eggs :opened : Remarks Aug. 6 : 2 :1 . 30 mm. x 22.5 ma. buried rather deep. : Top egg collapsed and mouldy. 7 mm. : embryo. •*2. 32,3 mm, x 20 mm. Two mouldy eggs i n : this group. 11 mm. embryo, heart beat ; p l a i n l y discernible; limbs and t a i l : well defined but not d i g i t s ; carapace forming with indications of scales. Aug. 18 : 3 .1. 31 mm. x 24 mm. Carapace and plastron well developed. 2. From nest l a i d by t u r t l e i n enclosure. Top two eggs mouldy here. 7 mm. embryo 3. No mould here. 8 mm. embryo. Aug. 23 : 1 Well developed embryo, 12 mm., showing scales on carapace and plastron. Spasmodic movements of head and limbs. Sept, 21 : 2 1. 8 mm. embryo. 2. 11 mm. embryo. Most of the eggs are s p o i l i n g . Sept. 26 Inspected remaining eggs. Only 3 not spoiled. Remainder collapsed and mouldy. - 8 4 -(e) Period of incubation. In general, i t may be stated that the fresh-water tu r t l e s of North America deposit t h e i r eggs i n the spring and the young hatch and leave the nest i n late summer or early f a l l . This i s the case with £. p. picta and the other painted t u r t l e s of the east. G. p. b e l l i ! , how-ever,, apparently does not conform to this procedure. A l l the evidence that I have been able to gather seems to point to the fact that our B r i t i s h Columbia painted tur-t l e breaks cover i n lat e A p r i l or i n May. Whether embryonic development i s arrested during the winter months, to be completed i n the spring, or whether the young tu r t l e s are completely developed (and possibly hatched i n the autumn but merely hibernate i n the nest hole u n t i l spring), I have not been able to establish def-i n i t e l y , but I think that perhaps the former i s the more l i k e l y * I have consulted a number of people who l i v e near t u r t l e breeding areas, and none have ever seen a baby t u r t l e i n the f a l l , but only i n the spring and early sum-mer. (See the discussion of Malaclemmys, Pseudemys and Bmys orb i c u l a r i s at the end of the section for comparison.) I have the following data: - 85 -(a) A 26 mm. specimen was taken at Oliver on May 25, 1927^ I t i s described as being one of a dozen or so which were found trying to cross a railway track. Apparently they had just broken cover, and were on their way to the nearest body of water. (?) Spec.Dept.of Zool.Goll'n.,U.B.C. (b) Mr. Duncan of Osoyoos states that i n November, 1934 he unearthed a nest of t u r t l e eggs while ploughing over a piece of ground. He buried them again and marked the spot with a s t i c k . He dug the place over again i n May, 1935 and found three newly-hatched t u r t l e s , which he kept a l i v e for several months. As they hadn't hatched by November, this would seem to indicate that the young remain i n the s h e l l over winter. (c) Mr. Duncan said that he had ploughed up young animals on several occasions,, and always i n the spring. At the time I interviewed him (May 7, 1936) he said that he had found some only a few days previously. He showed me the s i t e and, a few yards away, his daughter picked up a dead baby t u r t l e - evidently one which had desiccated i n the hot sun before getting to the slough nearby. This l i t t l e t u r t l e was 26 mm. long (carapace) and had a wel l developed egg beak. - 86 -(d) On May 9, 1936, we found a slough, or more cor--rectly a flooded pasture about three-quarters of an acre i n extent which was well populated with young tur-t l e s . This extremely muddy flood pond was situated only a few hundred yards from Osoyoos lake (see PI. IX, fig.26) and was teeming with tadpoles of the Western spadefoot toad, Scaphiopus hammondi hammondi. During an afternoon's hunting I managed to secure twenty baby tur-t l e s , ranging i n size from 24.5 mm. to 30 mm. I also found one abnormal i n d i v i d u a l , which only measured 21.5 mm. Of t h i s group many s t i l l bore a small double knobbed egg beak, and seven of the smaller specimens had remnants of yolk sac dependent from the umbilicus. These seven, I believe, had only just l e f t the nest. The larger specimens had the umbilicus healed over, and In some cases had shed the egg beak. These animals I considered to be two or three weeks old. (e) Eddie Lacey, who l i v e d near the above-mentioned slough, stated that he had found a dead baby t u r t l e on i t s northern bank about three weeks previously. He believed that i t had just hatched, but had dried up and died i n the hot sun before i t could find the water. (f) On May 10, I936 we found several open t u r t l e nests at the north end of Vaseaux lake. Broken egg she l l s were l y i n g around, and the s o l i was soft and - 8 7 -damp as though i t had been recently disturbed. This -might be regarded as evidence of the hatching of tur-tles . Perhaps, however, some predatory animal had disturbed these nests, as i t seemed to me that more earth was removed from the holes than would be dis-turbed by young t u r t l e s . Also, why should the egg shells be scattered over the surface of the ground. (See PI.XII, fig.32.) (g) Another baby t u r t l e (26 mm.) with egg beak and open umbilicus was found on May 12 i n a tiny pond about five miles south of Westhank. Thacker, 19 24, gives the following pertinent data: (a) "Late i n March, 1922, Mrs. Jukes of Penticton saw a nest which had been exposed during the construc-t i o n of a new railway, and from i t were taken several young ones, some of them just breaking out of the s h e l l . I t i s said that at this time the frost was s t i l l i n the ground immediately beneath the nest." (b) "A record of the hatching of eggs i n the spring was also given me by Mr. Tal Haynes of Osoyoos, who -stated that a Chinaman In his employ was, a few years back, clearing out the hearth i n a smoke house i n the month of A p r i l , when.he found several small t u r t l e s , l e s s than a f i f t y - e e n t p i e c e i n s i z e , one of which Mrs. "Haynes kept a l i v e f o r ten days." (c) "June 2, 1922* Found a newly-hatched specimen." (d) "Mid-June, 1922. Another found." Mrs. Jukes' evidence a l s o p o i n t s to the f a c t that t u r t l e young remain i n the egg over winter. I t seems remarkable t h a t they should be able to surv i v e the f r e e z i n g temperature of an Okanagan winter. She says the f r o s t was i n the ground below the nest. A d d i t i o n a l Notes f o r Comparison. Hildebrand, i n h i s "Review of Experiments on A r t i f i c i a l Culture of the Diamond-back Terrapins", says t h a t the young o f Malaclemmys may emerge from the nests i n the f a l l , or may stop i n the ground u n t i l l a t e March or A p r i l of the f o l l o w i n g year. They do not feed r e g u l a r l y u n t i l the l a t t e r p a r t of May, and make no per-c e p t i b l e growth f o r a month or so a f t e r t h i s time. He goes on to e x p l a i n that diamond-backs may l a y once, twice, or as many as three, f o u r or even f i v e times duri n g a season (under a r t i f i c i a l c o n d i t i o n s ) . The egg l a y i n g season begins i n e a r l y May and ends i n e a r l y August. The e a r l i e s t hatchings are at the end of J u l y -most emerge i n mid-August, some make t h e i r appearance as l a t e as mid-October, and the remainder stop over u n t i l s p r i n g . The i n c u b a t i o n p e r i o d i s about n i n e t y days. Babcock, i n the " T u r t l e s of New England", makes the f o l l o w i n g n o t a t i o n i n h i s d i s c u s s i o n o f Pseudemys r u b r i v e n t r i s : "The eggs probably hatch during the summer,, but on t h i s p o i n t there have been no personal observations. The young, however, remain i n the nest u n t i l the f o l l o w i n g s p r i n g , ( A p r i l 1 0 i n one case), and when they emerge are about the s i z e of a twenty-five cent p i e c e . They go to the water at once." Gadow s t a t e s t h a t the European pond t o r t o i s e , Emys o r b i c u l a r i s , has " h i b e r n a t i n g eggs". That i s , the embryonic development slows up with the approach o f autumn, i s a r r e s t e d during the winte r , and commences again i n the e a r l y s p r i n g , the young making t h e i r appearance i n l a t e A p r i l or May. (f) D e s c r i p t i o n o f the newly hatched young. I have not managed to ob t a i n specimens of B e l l ' s t e r r a p i n f r e s h from the egg, but have been fortunate i n cap t u r i n g a small s e r i e s of specimens which were c e r -t a i n l y very young, probably having emerged only a day or so p r e v i o u s l y . A. specimen i n the Department of Zoology, U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h Columbia, was taken on May 2.8 at O l i v e r . I t i s only 26 mm. i n l e n g t h along the carapace, and was taken, apparently while making f o r the water, • j u s t a f t e r hatching. U n f o r t u n a t e l y the f l u i d i n which i t was preserved bleached out n e a r l y every v e s t i g e of c o l o u r , so that i t i s not s u i t a b l e f o r d e s c r i p t i o n as a t y p i c a l example. Another dead and r a t h e r d r i e d specimen was p i c k e d up i n a f i e l d near O l i v e r on May 7 , 1 9 3 6 - The people there explained that i t was probably one of a nest that they had ploughed up two days p r e v i o u s l y . The most t y p i c a l example I have i s a specimen taken i n a small pond between Peachland and Westbank, May 12, I936.. The carapace measurements of t h i s i n d i v i d u a l are 2.4mm. by 22 mm., and the g r e a t e s t depth of the s h e l l i s 12 mm. The g e n e r a l p r o p o r t i o n s of the animal are very s i m i l a r to the a d u l t except t h a t the head i s dispropor-t i o n a t e l y l a r g e , and the t a i l r a t h e r long. The carapace Is d i s t i n c t l y r i d g e d , or f o l d e d , along the mid-dorsal l i n e . No doubt immediately upon hatching i t was even more humped, so that the t u r t l e might r e a d i l y f i t i n t o an egg o f about 30 mm. by 20 mm. The s u r f a c e t e x t u r e of the carapace s c a l e s i s d i s t i n c t l y g r a n u l a r , while the p l a s t r o n i s smooth* - 91 -The limbs are w e l l developed, and are equipped /with s o a l e s and claws, l i k e those of an adult i n m i n i a t u r e . The u m b i l i c u s , s i t u a t e d between the abdominal and femoral scutes, was not completely clo s e d over, and a t the time of capture had small shreds o f y o l k sac s t i l l dependent from i t . As i n some o f the other specimens captured around the same time, the egg beak had not been .shed, but p e r s i s t e d as a s m a l l double-pointed nodule, f i r m l y implanted on the upper mandible. Observations o f young i n c a p t i v i t y r e v e a l e d that t h i s s t r u c t u r e may be r e t a i n e d f o r s e v e r a l weeks. The s c a l e arrangement of the carapace i n t h i s p a r t i c u l a r specimen was not of the normal order. Two l a r g e i r r e g u l a r s c a l e s along the m i d - l i n e brought the t o t a l o f neurals up to seven, and an a d d i t i o n a l c o s t a l was present on the l e f t s i d e . Otherwise the animal was p e r f e c t l y normal, and was c e r t a i n l y extremely vigorous. The c o l o u r a t i o n and p a t t e r n were almost i d e n -t i c a l w i t h those of the a d u l t . T h i s i s unusual i n pond t u r t l e s , as the young of most species are g e n e r a l l y very much more v i v i d l y marked than the o l d s t e r s . Not so i n t h i s case. The carapace here was of the usual dark o l i v e green, r e l i e v e d by a few yellow bars and c r e s c e n t s . The p l a s t r o n was of a v i v i d v e r m i l i o n , with a w e l l -" d e f i n e d b l a c k l y r a t e p a t t e r n . The v e n t r a l surfaces of the marginal s h i e l d s were of t h i s same b r i l l i a n t hue. The head, limbs and t a i l were dark green, with lemon yellow s t r i p e s . A l t o g e t h e r a b r i g h t e r , more a t t r a c t i v e l i t t l e c reature could not w e l l be imagined. (g) Rate o f growth. General d i s c u s s i o n . Study of c a p t i v e specimens rev e a l e d the f a c t that B e l l ' s t u r t l e moults i t s epidermal s c a l e s once a year. T h i s g e n e r a l l y takes place i n the autumn, but sometimes a number of the s c a l e s , u s u a l l y the marginals or the s c a l e s of the p l a s t r o n , are r e t a i n e d over winter and are shed i n the e a r l y s p r i n g . This f a c t was con-firmed by f i e l d o b s e r v a t i o n s . With the moulting of each s c a l e a l i n e i s l e f t , i n d i c a t i n g the extent o f growth f o r the previous season. This procedure i s described i n d e t a i l under the s e c t i o n "Annual Moult". Using t h i s f a c t as a b a s i s , I have endeavoured to determine the ages of a l l the t u r t l e s which have passed through my hands, i n o r d e r to work out the n a t u r a l growth r a t e of t h i s subspecies i n B r i t i s h Columbia. Whenever p o s s i b l e , each t u r t l e was measured i n the f i e l d the day i t was captured, and the age determined by an examination of the annual r i n g s on i t s neural and c o s t a l scutes. Of course, l a r g e numbers of t u r t l e s should be examined before making d e f i n i t e statements of the average s i z e a t t a i n e d each year. I have not been able to secure l a r g e s e r i e s , and my specimens have been taken from w i d e l y separated l o c a l i t i e s . However, there seems to be a f a i r l y uniform development i n the m a t e r i a l a t hand, so I have c o l l e c t e d my data and prepared a graph showing the r a t e o f growth as n e a r l y as I can determine. The curve demonstrates the growth only up to the age of eight years, as i t i s impossible to compute with accur-acy the ages of t u r t l e s o l d e r than t h i s , as a l l the e a r l y growth l i n e s have become o b l i t e r a t e d by that time. Accurate determination of the l a t e r development could only be e f f e c t e d by tagging large numbers o f t u r t l e s i n t h e i r n a t u r a l haunts, and r e c a p t u r i n g and measuring as many as p o s s i b l e each succeeding year. The s i z e o f the t u r t l e s i s expressed as the length and i n some eases, the width a l s o , of the c a r a -pace i n a s t r a i g h t l i n e . T h i s seemed to me to be the most reasonable f e a t u r e to work on, other than weight, which was i m p r a c t i c a b l e i n the f i e l d because of the l a c k of s u i t a b l e balances. The hatching date i s taken as being i n the neighborhood of l a t e A p r i l or e a r l y May. T u r t l e s taken i n l a t e September may be regarded as having completed a season's or "year's" growth, as apparently no growth takes p l a c e d u r i n g the h i b e r n a t i n g p e r i o d . A s m a l l ser-i e s of y e a r l i n g t u r t l e s taken i n a slough near Westbank on May 12, 1936 were no l a r g e r i n average s i z e than two other specimens taken i n the same l o c a l i t y i n September, 1933. Hatching. A s e r i e s of nine newly-hatched t u r t l e s averaged 25.5 mm. i n l e n g t h of carapace, and ranged from 24.5 to 26 mm. One specimen was found which measured only 21.5 mm., but was abnormal, and d i e d s h o r t l y a f t e r capture. F i r s t Year. Seven young specimens taken June 18-21, 1935 a t Pender Harbour averaged 29.5 mm., and ranged from 27 to 31 mm. Two t u r t l e s taken i n a slough a few m i l e s south of Vifestbank i n mid-September, 1933 by G-. C. C a r l were e v i d e n t l y j u s t completing t h e i r f i r s t season's growth and measured 6l and 52 mm. Of these, the 6l mm, s p e c i -men i s regarded as being the more r e p r e s e n t a t i v e , as the other had a very much humped (and t h e r e f o r e shortened) s h e l l , of a shape not seen i n any others I have examined, and was probably abnormal. These t u r t l e s s t i l l r e t a i n e d •the rough granulated s c a l e which i s present on hatching on each s h i e l d , and the r e g i o n of growth, although l a r g e was smooth and unbroken. I v i s i t e d t h i s same slough on May 12, 1936, and was fortuna t e enough to capture seven y e a r l i n g s which ranged from 53 to 6 l mm. A. specimen which had e v i d e n t l y been dead some time was 61 mm. i n l e n g t h . Another y e a r l i n g , taken i n an a l k a l i pot-hole near the north end of Yaseaux l a k e , measured 65 mm. The average s i z e a t the end of one year's growth as i s i n d i c a t e d by these eleven specimens, i s 58 mm. Second Year. In September, 1933, at Westbank, Mr. C a r l also took a specimen which had jus t completed i t s second growth p e r i o d and measured 75 m^u» This t u r t l e , when r e -ceived, had l o s t the baby s c a l e s but r e t a i n e d t h e i r imprint upon the s c a l e s beneath. These s c a l e s were already l o o s e n i n g and were cast the f o l l o w i n g s p r i n g , l e a v i n g w e l l - d e f i n e d growth lines, f o r the f i r s t and second years of development. On May 11, 1936, i n a small pond near Summerlandj I captured two t u r t l e s which were j u s t commencing t h e i r t h i r d season. These measured 82 and 8 l mm. Four more, on May 1 2 , a t Westbank, were 8 0 , 7 5 , • 84 and 80 mm. The average s i z e f o r t u r t l e s having completed two years and j u s t commencing t h e i r t h i r d , then, i s 79 m m . T h i r d Year. I have only been able to o b t a i n one specimen at the beginning o f i t s f o u r t h season, to i n d i c a t e the s i z e a t t a i n e d i n three years. This a l s o was from West-bank on May 1 2 , 193&, and had a carapace 90 mm* Fourth Year. A 99 mm. specimen captured June 1 9 , 1 9 3 5 at Pender Harbour appeared to be i n i t s f o u r t h year. Another, 1 0 0 mm. In l e n g t h , was taken at West-bank on August 2 , 1 9 3 5 by R. E. F o s t e r . This was w e l l on i n i t s f o u r t h season. The annual r i n g s of i t s f i r s t , second and t h i r d years were q u i t e evident, but the out-l i n e s of i t s baby s c a l e s had become o b l i t e r a t e d . A. t u r t l e from t h i s same l o c a l i t y taken May 1 2 , I 9 3 6 measured 1 0 3 mm. Another, from Summerland the day before, was 1 1 1 mm. A male specimen, 1 0 5 mm., captured May 2 1 , 1934 at Pender Harbour, was ju s t s t a r t i n g i t s f i f t h year. - 91 -I place the s i z e , then, f o r f o u r years at approx-imately 106.mm. F i f t h Year. Another t u r t l e from Pender Harbour, June 19, 1935, was w e l l i n t o i t s f i f t h season, and measured 110 mm. Two females from Westbank, September, 1933 had completed t h e i r f i f t h year, and were 114 and 121 mm. i n length* S i x t h Year. A male, measuring 120 mm., was captured on May 20, 1934 i n P r i e s t lake, Texada I s l a n d . T h i s animal was just commencing i t s s i x t h growth stage. Two other s i x - y e a r specimens were found at Pender Harbour - a female, 120 mm., and a male, 124 mm., i n mid-June, 1935. This p a i r of t u r t l e s i l l u s t r a t e d the sexual dimorphism of t h i s subspecies r a t h e r w e l l , and a more d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n of them w i l l be found under that sec-t i o n . Seventh Year. I have only examined one specimen which I b e l i e v e to be i n i t s seventh year. This was a male from Texada I s l a n d (May 20, 1934) with a carapace 126 mm. i n l e n g t h . E i g h t h Year. One female, w e l l on i n i t s eighth year, was cap-tured at Pender Harbour on June 17, 1933. This was a well-grown specimen o f 133 mm.» and weighed 325 grams. This t u r t l e , as w e l l as a l l females of g r e a t e r age examined, had a more dome-shaped carapace then the adult males, or the younger animals o f e i t h e r sex. (See d e t a i l e d measurements of t h i s specimen under "External Features", page 13.) I have no t u r t l e s i n the n i n t h year, and o n l y one, a male, 140 mm., from Pender Harbour, which I b e l i e v e to be i n the t e n t h , but I cannot be sure - i t may be o l d e r . T u r t l e s apparently become s e x u a l l y mature around the tenth or eleventh year, although mating a c t i v i t i e s may begin around the s i x t h or seventh year (according to A g a s s i z ) . With the advent of sexual m a t u r i t y growth ( i n length) seems to slow up c o n s i d e r a b l y and i n o l d t u r t l e s growth l i n e s are r e s t r i c t e d to a few r i d g e s around the periphery of each s c a l e , the bulk, of the s c a l e being p e r f e c t l y smooth, with a l l evidence of the e a r l y growth seasons o b l i t e r a t e d . A f a i r s e r i e s of a d u l t females has been examined and t u r t l e s ranging from 177 mm. to 210 mm. are known to - 99 -be s e x u a l l y mature. A 177 mm. specimen, when opened, was found to c o n t a i n e i g h t f u l l y developed eggs, with s h e l l s . Another female, mm., contained t h i r t e e n l a r g e y o l k s i n her o v a r i e s , which no doubt represented her next year's quota of eggs. A 210 mm. specimen was observed to deposit four-teen eggs. T h i s animal i s the l a r g e s t reported In t h i s p rovince, as f a r as I am aware. I f the number of eggs l a i d i s i n d i c a t i v e o f the s i z e of the animal, B e l l ' s t u r t l e must reach greater dimensions than 210 mm., as I found a c l u t c h of s i x t e e n eggs, and another o f twenty eggs, at Pender Harbour. Males apparently do not grow as l a r g e as females, A specimen from Vaseaux lake was only 1.50 mm* i n length, although i t appeared to be q u i t e o l d , as no recent growth of any extent was evidenced upon i t s s c a l e s , and i t s c o l o u r s had become d u l l and sombre. A preserved specimen, h a b i t a t unknown, measured 165 mm. - 100 -Table of Specimens Examined from hatching to e i g h t years o l d . Sex Length (mm.) Width (mm.) L o c a l i t y Date C o l l e c t o r EIRST YEAR. 26 21.5 24.5 25 25.5 26 26 26. 24 26 27 27 27 27 27 2.8 28 28,5 28.5 Deadman's Lake, Osoyoos Osoyoos Lake Westbank O l i v e r Osoyoos Lake May 8/36 May 9/36 May 12/36 May 25/29 May 9/36 Mr. Duncan G.P.H. H.J.McKay (Dept.Zool. '" U.B.C. )""' S.P.H.. . - 1 0 1 -Sex Length (mm) Width (mm.) Locality Date Collector 29 Osoyoos Lake May 9/36 G. P. H. 29.5 i r tt tt 3 0 it it tr 30 t r tt tt 50 n tr n 28 Summerland May I I / 3 6 G.P.H.. 28 Madeline Lake May I 3 / 3 6 J.K.Jacob 28 tt t r G.C.Carl 27 Garden Bay Lake June 1 8 / 3 5 G.P.H. 30 tr June 2 0 / 3 5 tt 30 IT tr tt 30 tt i t tr 29 tr tt E.E.Eoster 30 n June 2 1 / 3 5 tt 31 tt tt 52 Westbank Sept./33 G.CGarl 61 tr tt r t 9 1 SECoro TEAT? 0 \ !^ 1 65 61 52-4 5 Vaseaux Lake Westbank May IO/36 May 1 2 / 3 6 S.P.H. tr 0 1 1*1 ^1 is, 1 •v. 1 56 59 5 2 5 2 tr tt; it tt t r !t 1 V 1 01 3! - 102 -Sex Length (mm.) Width (mm.) L o c a l i t y Date C o l l e c t o r * 59 54 Westhank May 12/36 G.P.H. Sj 53 48 tr 11 it °> 1 59 55 61 53 50 55 tt i t tt 11 IT tt & ! tt >• I V 1 *> 1 <£ 1 75 it Sept./33 G.. C.Carl ; THIRD YEAR "1* ' 98 83 Osoyoos Lake May 9/36 G.P.H. ; 82 68 Summerland May H/36 t 1 tr 0, ^ 1 T> , 81 71 tt: 11 A,it ^ ! 80 66 Westhank May I2/36 75 £?' tt \\ 84 80 71 _.70 n it n ti re ,' 1STJRTH YEAR 90 1 77 Westhank May 12/36 99 88 Garden Bay Lake June 19/35 rr 100 79 Westhank Aug.2/35 R.E.Foster FIFTH YEAR 111 105 90 84 Summerland Westhank May H/36 May 12/36 G.PJ3. . ! «i1 rr ^ ! - 1 0 3 -Sex Length (MM. ) Width (mm.) L o c a l i t y Date C o l l e c t o r Male Male 1 0 5 1 1 0 Garden Bay Lake tt May 2 1 / 3 4 June 1 9 / 3 5 G.P.H. tt Female Female 114 121 1 0 1 l e s thank tt. S e p t . / 3 3 tr G.C. C a r l c! - U.i t. 8! SIXTH YEAR Male 1 2 0 Female 1 2 0 Male 124 SEVENTH YEAH Male 1 2 6 EIGHTH YEAH. P r i e s t Lake, Texada I s l a n d -Garden Bay Lake it May 2 0 / 3 4 June 1 3 / 3 5 G . P . H . P r i e s t Lake, Texada I s l a n d May 20/34 G.P.H. Female | 1 3 3 | |Garden Bay Lake | June 1 7 / 3 5 |G.P . H . .SL 0 <5 Using the l i m i t e d m a t e r i a l a t hand, I have ' p l o t t e d the growth of Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i ! during the f i r s t e i g h t years, the a b s c i s s a r e p r e s e n t i n g the cara-pace lengths i n m i l l i m e t r e s , and the ordinate showing the age i n growth p e r i o d s . The p e r i o d o f growth Is taken as from the beginning o f May to the end o f September, as i t was found t h a t t u r t l e s one and two years o l d taken i n e a r l y May were no l a r g e r than s i m i l a r - 104 -t u r t l e s taken the previous September. Males and females . are p l o t t e d together, as t h e i r growth r a t e s a re appar-e n t l y much the same during the f i r s t eight years or so, a f t e r which the development of the male i s slower. When a number of specimens of a c e r t a i n age were captured on the same date, t h e i r carapace lengths are averaged. The growth of Chrysemys p i c t a p i c t a as i n v e s t i -gated by A g a s s i z , Clemmys marmorata by Store r , and Mala-clemmys sp. by Barney, are p l o t t e d f o r comparison. In the case o f Malaclemmys, the p l a s t r o n lengths are p l o t t e d but these are .only a t r i f l e s h o r t e r than the carapaces. Where the time o f year was not I n d i c a t e d i n Barney's paper,, the p o i n t was p l a c e d i n mid-July, the middle of the growth season. The data on Malaclemmys were gathered from the a r t i f i c i a l c u l t u r e of the sp e c i e s (diamond-backs) and not from the n a t u r a l animal. I t w i l l be noted that Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i i grows much more q u i c k l y than C.. p i c t a p i c t a , which Is a small e r t u r t l e , and Clemmys marmorata, which I s much the same s i z e as b e l l i i a t a d u l t age. At eight years C. p. b e l l i i i s much the same s i z e as Malaclemmys,. but i t s e a r l y growth i s apparently more r a p i d . Sept Aug. July s 1 June ill- 1- \ May (\ i •A i Sept \\ Aug. i \ \ July June 7th.Year i \ \\ \ i \ \ Mav Sent V \ Au g. \\ \ July 6th.Year VV \ \ June \ \ \ May A A \ Sept A \ . Aug. \\ \ July 5th.Year \ : \ \ June \\ \\ May \\ ] Sent \\ . v - AUK. V • July 4th. Year \ \ June \ May \ \ Sept. \ Aug. V \ \\ July Jrd.Year \\ June \\ \ v V \ May \ \ \ \ \ Sept. \ \\ \ \ Aug. \ \ July 2nd.Year \ \ \ V June \ \ \ \ d May Sept. Aug. July 1st.Year June \ N \ May latching J. , ''''! i ' . ; J ietual i ens'th''' i n millimetres r Graph £ .howi ng the 3 < jomparativ 3 g ;rowth . during the f i r s t e: Lght years of Chrysemys pieta b e l l i ! Chrvse jm vs Die ta D i c t a Malac] .en 1! ., . an. - 106 -(h) Longevity. I have no r e l i a b l e data on the age a t t a i n e d by t h i s subspecies, but i t i s probable that they l i v e f o r f o r t y years or more. Mr. Lacey o f Osoyoos carved h i s name on the back of a w e l l grown specimen over twenty years ago, and came across the same animal i n 1934.. Th i s t u r t l e would be a t l e a s t t h i r t y years o l d , and very l i k e l y more. The 203 mm. and 210 mm; specimens captured at Pender Harbour appeared to be very o l d . A l l trace o f growth l i n e s had disappeared, and the s h e l l s were s c a r r e d i n many p l a c e s . The c o l o u r s had become very dark and d u l l , and the claws were worn down to short blunt stubs. IX. -SEASONAL GROWTH. (a) Annual moult. B e l l ' s p a i n t e d t u r t l e , l i k e other t e r r a p i n s , r e g u l a r l y sheds the epidermal s c a l e s o f i t s carapace and p l a s t r o n once a year. This g e n e r a l l y takes place i n l a t e summer or during the f a l l . Sometimes a number of scales were r e t a i n e d over w i n t e r and sloughed i n the f o l l o w i n g s p r i n g . T u r t l e s s t u d i e d i n c a p t i v i t y (1934) began t h i s o p e r a t i o n on September 6 t h . I n 1933 they began on August 1 0 t h . - 107 -The moulting season was heralded by the neural and c o s t a l areas of the carapace taking on a d u l l cloudy appearance. This was due to the loosening away of the s c a l e s . In some cases the c o l o u r of the carapace was masked where the middle p o r t i o n s of the s c a l e s had a c t u a l l y separated away a l i t t l e b i t , thus e n c l o s i n g a bubble o f a i r . (See P I . I l l , f i g . 6 , ) This was p a r t i c -u l a r l y n o t i c e a b l e when the t u r t l e s were swimming, as the c o l o u r s of the r e s t o f the s h e l l were i t e n s i f i e d by the c o v e r i n g of water, and showed up by c o n t r a s t . One s p e c i -men, which had not cast i t s s c a l e s when put i n t o the U n i v e r s i t y l i l y pond ( B o t a n i c a l Gardens) on November 1, 1 9 3 5 to h i b e r n a t e , had the c e n t r a l p o r t i o n s of the scales s e p a r a t i n g i n t h i s manner when i t made i t s f i r s t appear-ance i n 1936, on March 4th. I t s s c a l e s at t h i s time were qui t e l o o s e , and came away r e a d i l y when rubbed. S h o r t l y a f t e r t h i s p r e l i m i n a r y loosening, the s e a l e s b e g i n to p e e l away. T u r t l e s basking on a hot autumn day present a very ragged appearance, as most of the s c a l e s have separated away on one edge and are c u r l e d up With the heat. At t h i s time they may be removed quite r e a d i l y , p e e l i n g away a l l i n one p i e c e . I f l e f t to moult n a t u r a l l y , they g e n e r a l l y f a l l o f f two or three days a f t e r f i r s t c u r l i n g up.. - 108 -The n e u r a l and c o s t a l scutes were always the f i r s t to separate. These were c l o s e l y followed by the d o r s a l proximal edges of the marginal, nuchal and pygal scutes. These took longer to p e e l o f f , owing to the absence of the h e a t i n g i n f l u e n c e of the sun's rays on t h e i r lower s u r f a c e . The s h i e l d s of the p l a s t r o n were always l a s t to be shed, no doubt f o r the same reason. Sometimes they were r e t a i n e d f o r weeks a f t e r loosening away from the new epidermal s c a l e . The new s c a l e s underneath were b e a u t i f u l l y smooth and g l o s s y , and the pigments i n the malpighian l a y e r be-neath appeared very r i c h and v i v i d . The newly-shed s c a l e s , c h i t i n o u s i n substance, were quite c o l o u r l e s s and would have been almost p e r f e c t l y transparent but f o r the innumerable t i n y scratches on t h e i r d o r s a l s u r f a c e s gathered during t h e i r year's wear. Mou l t i n g o f the head, neck and appendages did not n e c e s s a r i l y take place at the same time as the shedding of the scutes of the s h e l l , and no l a r g e sheets of e p i -dermis were ever observed f l o a t i n g around i n one piece. I t i s probable that the surface l a y e r s of these p o r t i o n s of the animal are c o n t i n u a l l y being rubbed o f f i n small patches a l l through the a c t i v e season. - 109 •* (b) Growth o f the epidermal p l a t e s . The carapace of the newly-hatched t u r t l e i s cl o t h e d i n a s e r i e s of scales which have a rough, granulated surface t e x t u r e . During the f i r s t season o f growth these s c a l e s do not i n c r e a s e i n area, but new sca l e s which are being formed beneath each extend t h e i r growing margins beyond the p e r i p h e r i e s o f the o l d s c a l e s , which n e c e s s a r i l y become separated. The surface of t h i s new area of c h i t i n i s p e r f e c t l y smooth, with no tra c e of g r a n u l a t i o n s . The growth of the margins of the new s c a l e s i s e c c e n t r i c , c e r t a i n edges growing more r a p i d l y than others, as f o l l o w s : The nuchal s h i e l d , d o r s a l l y and v e n t r a l l y , ex-tends i t s p o s t e r i o r margins cons i d e r a b l y , and i t s l a t e r a l margins only s l i g h t l y . The f i v e neural s h i e l d s develop p a r t i c u l a r l y on t h e i r a n t e r i o r , and a n t e r i o r l a t e r a l margins, l e s s on the p o s t e r i o r l a t e r a l margins, and v i r t u a l l y not at a l l on the p o s t e r i o r edges. The marginals, d o r s a l l y and v e n t r a l l y , develop almost e n t i r e l y upon t h e i r proximal and a n t e r i o r l a t e r a l margins. The g u l a r s h i e l d s develop p r o x i m a l l y and poster-i o r l y . - 110 -The humerals. extend a n t e r i o r l y and proximally c o n s i d e r a b l y , and only s l i g h t l y on the p o s t e r i o r margins. The p e c t o r a l s , abdominals and femorals develop s i m i l a r l y . The anals grow only on the a n t e r i o r and proximal margins. The small s c a l e s on the a n t e r i o r and p o s t e r i o r margins of the bridges grow only on t h e i r a n t e r i o r edges. Thus the granulated s c a l e s of a t u r t l e w e l l on i n i t s f i r s t growth stage' do not meet edge to edge, but are separated on t h e i r v a r i o u s margins by w e l l - d e f i n e d areas o f growth. In l a t e summer, when the season o f growth i s draw-in g to a c l o s e , the o r i g i n a l baby s c a l e s become loosened and i n a short time are east o f f . The new s c a l e underneath the periphery of which was a l r e a d y evident as the growth area around the o l d s c a l e , i s p r a c t i c a l l y smooth, but some sli g h t , trace of the g r a n u l a t i o n s may be imprinted upon I t s surface. The l i m i t o f the margin o f the o l d s c a l e i s i n d i c a t e d on the new one by a shallow furrow, where i t s edge was attached. The area between t h i s l i n e and the margin shows the growth extent f o r the f i r s t season, and the l i n e may be termed a. true growth l i n e , one appearing with each annual slough. When the s c a l e s are again moulted at the end of the seoond growth season, a l l - I l l -evidences of the g r a n u l a t i o n s are o b l i t e r a t e d . The furrow or growth l i n e made by the edge of an o l d scale not only marks the new one, but may leave i t s impression upon the succeeding three or f o u r . I t i s thus p o s s i b l e to determine the age of a t u r t l e a c c u r a t e l y up to the f o u r t h or f i f t h year. A f t e r that time the e a r l y growth l i n e s are l o s t and determination of age becomes more d i f f i c u l t . However, by c a r e f u l com-p a r i s o n o f the o l d e s t growth r i n g s remaining with some of the l a t e r r i n g s of younger t u r t l e s of known age, I t i s p o s s i b l e to c a l c u l a t e the age with reasonable hope of accuracy up to the e i g h t h or n i n t h year. A f t e r that age growth becomes much slower, and the growth l i n e s not so w e l l d e f i n e d . (See PI.SIX, fig.46.) X.. NATURAL -ENEMIES. (a) Predators. I t i s u n l i k e l y that f u l l - g r o w n t u r t l e s have any enemies other than the depraved type of human being who w i l l p e r s i s t i n d e l i b e r a t e l y d r i v i n g h i s automobile over specimens met with along the roadsides. This Is doubly d e s t r u c t i v e , as t u r t l e s met with i n t h i s manner are g e n e r a l l y g r a v i d females l o o k i n g f o r a spot to deposit t h e i r eggs. Dogs have been known to k i l l half-grown specimens, - 112 -and mink, weasels, skunks, crows, l a r g e f i s h and snakes probably take t h e i r t o l l o f the newly-hatched and very young i n d i v i d u a l s . The g r e a t e s t m o r t a l i t y probably occurs with the eggs. Thacker notes t h a t horses f r e q u e n t l y r o l l i n p l a c e s where the eggs are deposited, and c a t t l e trample the sand. A l s o crows probably destroy eggs when the nest h o l e s are not p r o p e r l y c l o s e d by the female. Miss I s a b e l Duncan of Osoyoos informed me that she had seen skunks d i g g i n g up t u r t l e eggs and eating them. Weasels probably do l i k e w i s e . (b) P a r a s i t e s . T u r t l e s kept i n the l i l y pond i n the U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia B o t a n i c a l Gardens were found to be s u s c e p t i b l e to the ravages of Saprolegnia. The eyes were attacked c h i e f l y , and some became closed, with the l i d s b u l g i n g out. The limbs were l i k e w i s e a f f e c t e d , p a r t i c -u l a r l y at the j o i n t s . T u r t l e s i n f e s t e d with t h i s " f i s h mould" always died i n a few weeks. No signs of t h i s were found on f r e s h l y caught t u r t l e s , and i t probably only occurs on i n d i v i d u a l s weakened by improper care or feeding under capt i v e c o n d i t i o n s . None of the t u r t l e s d i s s e c t e d were I n f e s t e d with round worms or with f l u k e s . - 113 -SUMMARY,, B e l l ' s p a i n t e d t e r r a p i n , Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i i (Gray), the only Chelonian indigenous to B r i t i s h Columbia, covers a wide d i s t r i b u t i o n over the Great P l a i n s area i n the United S t a t e s , and touches the southern p o r t i o n s o f the Canadian provinces from Ontario west. I t i s unique i n being the only eastern fresh-water t u r t l e to be found west of the Rocky Mountains, F i r s t d e s c r i b e d i n 1831 as Emys b e l l i i by Gray, i t has had a v a r i e d synonymy, and i s now placed as a sub-species of Chrysemys p i c t a , the eastern p a i n t e d t e r r a p i n . I t i s h i g h l y v a r i a b l e , and where I t s d i s t r i b u t i o n overlaps the ranges of other subspecies, i n t e r g r a d e s are found. C. p. b e l l i i i s the l a r g e s t of the painted t u r t l e s , a d u l t females having s h e l l s up to 210 mm. le n g t h . Its. c h i e f d i a g n o s t i c f e a t u r e s are the i r r e g u l a r yellow bars on the carapace and the dark l y r a t e pattern; on a red ground on the p l a s t r o n . I t s p h y s i c a l characters are much l i k e those o f other pond t u r t l e s - f l a t s h e l l , head clothed i n smooth s k i n , broad webbed f e e t , and with a r a t h e r small t a i l In the a d u l t . B r i t i s h Columbia specimens are remarkable f o r the high percentage of i r r e g u l a r i t i e s of s c a l a t i o n , h a l f the - 114 -specimens, examined being abnormal. These anomalies • mostly c o n s i s t of supernumerary s c a l e s , probably o r i g i n -a t i n g from the s p l i t t i n g of normal s c a l e s during embryonic development. A. few cases of s c a l e r e d u c t i o n are recorded. Sexes are d i f f i c u l t to d i s t i n g u i s h i n young animals, but i n the o l d e r specimens the male may be recognized by i t s l e s s e r bulk, longer foreclaws, narrower carapace, s h o r t e r p l a s t r o n , longer and t h i c k e r t a i l , and more posterior- l o c a t i o n o f the c l o a c a . Besides ranging over a l a r g e p o r t i o n o f c e n t r a l North America, C..p. b e l l i i i s found i n s e v e r a l l o c a l -i t i e s i n B r i t i s h Columbia. I t i s commonest i n the Okanagan v a l l e y from Osoyoos to Kelowna. Erom there northward i t i s not so p l e n t i f u l , and t u r t l e s of the I n t e r i o r have not been found west o f Kamloops. In the coast r e g i o n i t i s found i n lakes at Pen-der Harbour, i n l a k e s on Texada I s l a n d , and on Vancouver I s l a n d i n the r e g i o n of Port A l b e r n i . Strange to say, t u r t l e s do not occur n a t u r a l l y a t p o i n t s along the E r a s e r v a l l e y , although there i s evidence that they may have a t one time. B e l l ' s t u r t l e i s found i n bodies of f r e s h water of a number of types. Large c l e a r l a k e s , slow moving r i v e r s and backwaters, c l e a r sloughs, muddy sloughs and - 115 -even a l k a l i ponds were found to be w e l l populated i n cer-t a i n l o c a l i t i e s . During May, 19j6 i t was noted that there seemed to be a preference f o r the smaller bodies of water. T h i s may have been the r e s u l t of an e a r l y s p r i n g m i g r a t i o n . Large numbers of young were found i n some l o c a l i t i e s , which seems to i n d i c a t e that the s p r i n g m i g r a t i o n may be r e l a t e d to a search f o r i d e a l breeding p o o l s . T u r t l e s i n l a r g e , t r e e - f r i n g e d lakes were always found i n g r e a t e s t numbers around the northern or more sunny shores. In June, 1955 a t Garden Bay lake, many females were basking on logs opposite a bank which was afterwards found to be a f a v o u r i t e nesting, s i t e . The t u r t l e s , e s p e c i a l l y the younger ones, were g e n e r a l l y found i n the shallow p a r t s of the l a k e s . B e l l ' s t e r r a p i n h i b e r n a t e s i n the mud at the bottoms o f ponds and l a k e s d u r i n g the c o l d months from October to A p r i l . The nourishment during t h i s p e r i o d i s drawn from the nodules of f a t stored c h i e f l y just under the s k i n before the hind l e g s , and under the bridges of the s h e l l . Pulmonary r e s p i r a t i o n , o f course, ceases at t h i s time. Upon emerging from h i b e r n a t i o n , a m i g r a t i o n may take place, prompted perhaps by breeding i n s t i n c t s , as - 116 suggested', and due a l s o , probably, to the water l e v e l at that time. T u r t l e s are found to r e t r e a t from high water. The males probably leave the water only at t h i s time. During the summer season they are a c t i v e during the hours o f sunshine, from dawn to dusk. During the heat of midday they are g e n e r a l l y to be found basking on the shorebank, or on logs.' 7 Although apparently asleep, they are a l e r t enough to go s c u t t l i n g i n t o the water a t the s l i g h t e s t disturbance. Hearing i s apparently poor, but t h e i r eyesight i s very keen. T u r t l e s i n the f i e l d were g e n e r a l l y hunted by s t a l k i n g , and captured hy means of a long-handled dip net. T h i s species i s extremely r a p i d i n i t s movements and, u n l i k e the sea t u r t l e s , they are quite capable of r i g h t i n g themselves i f overturned, p r o v i d i n g the surface of the ground i s f a i r l y rough. Although spending a great deal o f time below the water, they n e c e s s a r i l y come to the su r f a c e to breathe, but the frequency of t h i s i s l e s s on c o l d days than on warm and culminates, o f course, i n the h i b e r n a t i o n per-i o d , when they do not breathe a t a l l . I n walking and i n swimming, the limbs are moved a l t e r n a t e l y , the r i g h t f o r e w i t h the l e f t hind, the - 117 -l e f t fore with the r i g h t hind, and so on. Feeding always takes place i n the water, food i n some cases being t o r n apart by the foreclaws, while a p o r t i o n i s r e t a i n e d i n the jaws. They are omnivorous i n d i e t , a c c e p t i n g animal and p l a n t food o f a wide v a r i e t y . Although mating commences i n the seventh year (?), a c t u a l o v i p o s i t i o n does not begin u n t i l the eleventh. The eggs take four years to develop from t i n y globules i n the o v a r i e s to the mature eggs. Copulation apparently takes p l a c e i n the s p r i n g and i n the autumn, p r i o r to h i b e r n a t i o n . During c o u r t -ship ( i n the water) the male v i b r a t e s h i s long foreclaws upon the head of the female. The o v i p o s i t i o n season i s from l a t e May to e a r l y J u l y . From s i x to twenty e l l i p t i c a l , white, parchment-l i k e eggs may be l a i d , depending on the age and s i z e o f the female. The nests are dug p r e f e r a b l y In sandy s o i l on the northern slopes of the ponds or l a k e s , and are excavated i n a flask-shaped form, the ground being moistened to prevent the edges f a l l i n g i n . This proced-ure always, takes p l a c e i n the l a t e afternoon or evening, and occupies about one and one-half hour's time* I f co n d i t i o n s are unsuitable f o r normal o v i p o s i t i o n , the eggs may be dropped i n the water, or r e t a i n e d i n the - 118 -oviducts f o r l o n g periods of time. The eggs, once l a i d , , r e c e i v e no f u r t h e r care from the mother, and are incubated by the heat o f the sun, the young fending f o r themselves from hatching. An experiment to incubate eggs from Pender Har-bour was u n s u c c e s s f u l , a 12 mm. embryo being the l a r g e s t obtained (June 20 - August 23, 1935)' Most of the eggs were destroyed by damp or mould. The p e r i o d of i n c u b a t i o n e v i d e n t l y extends over the w i n t e r months, and the young emerge i n the f o l l o w i n g May. They are much l i k e the a d u l t i n colour and general appearance, except f o r the p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y large head and long t a i l , and the mid-dorsal f o l d on the cara-pace. C. p. b e l l i i apparently grows much more r a p i d l y than some other t e r r a p i n s . Averaging 25.5 mm. upon hatching, B r i t i s h Columbia specimens were found to grow to 58 mm. i n the f i r s t year, 79 mm. i n the second, 90 mm. i n the t h i r d , and so on to 133 mm. i n the e i g h t h . Old males grow to I65 mm., and females have been found as l a r g e as 210 mm. The epidermal s c a l e s of the s h e l l are shed annually, each l e a v i n g an imprint o f i t s margin on the s c a l e beneath. By means of these growth l i n e s , the ages - 119 -of t u r t l e s may be determined a c c u r a t e l y up to about the e i g h t h year. The growth of each s c a l e area i s e c c e n t r i c , more extensive development ta k i n g p l a c e on the a n t e r i o r edges than on the p o s t e r i o r . Man i s the c h i e f enemy of adult t u r t l e s , but m o r t a l i t y o f eggs and young i s l a r g e l y due to crows and small predatory mammals. Captive specimens were s u s c e p t i b l e to the a t t a c k s of Sa p r o l e g n i a . - 120 -REFERENCES. 1. A g a s s i z , L. I857. "Contributions to the Natu r a l H i s t o r y of the United S t a t e s " . Boston; L i t t l e , Brown & Co.; Vo l s . I & I I . 2. Babcook, H. L. 1919. "The T u r t l e s of New England". Mem.Bost.Soc.Nat.Hist.; V o l . V I I I , pp.325-431, pis.17-32. 3. Barney, Raymond L. 1922. "Further notes on the n a t u r a l h i s t o r y and a r t i f i c i a l propagation of the diamond-back t e r r a p i n " . Wash.Gov't.Printing O f f i c e . 4. Bishop, S. C. and Schmidt, F. J . W. I93I. "The P a i n t e d T u r t l e s of the Genus Chry-semys". F i e l d Mus.Nat,Hist.ZooLSer., Pub.293. - 121 -£. Cowan, Ian MoTaggart. 1936. "A Review of the R e p t i l e s and Amphibians o f B r i t i s h Columbia". Ann.Report of the Prov.Mus.of Nat.Hist., Y i o t o r i a , 1936. 6. C r i d d l e , Norman. I919. " A d d i t i o n a l Notes on Manitoba T u r t l e s , Snakes and B a t r a c h i a n s " . The Ottawa N a t u r a l i s t , Vol.XXXII, No.7, Jan.1919. 7. Ditmars, R. L. I907.. "The R e p t i l e Book", The Nature L i b r a r y , V o l . XIII.. New Xork; Doubleday, Page & Co. 8. Ditmars, R. L. I933. " R e p t i l e s of the World", New York; The MacMillan Co. 9. Gadow, Hans. "Amphibians and R e p t i l e s " , The Cambridge N a t u r a l H i s t o r y . 1.0. Grant, Chapman. I936., "An E x t r a o r d i n a r y T o r t o i s e S h e l l " 1 . Copela; 19J6~; No, 4.' T- 122 -11, Hay, W i l l i a m P e r ry 1904. "A R e v i s i o n o f Malaclemmys, a Genus o f T u r t l e s " . B u l l , of U. S. Bureau of F i s h e r i e s . 12, Hildebrand "Review of Experiments on A r t i f i c i a l C u l ture of Diamond-back T e r r a p i n s " , 13. Holland, G. P. 1933. "The Anatomy of the Cumberland T e r r a p i n , Pseudemys elagans". Dept.of Zoology, Univ.of B.C. 14. Jordan, David S t a r r I 9 2 9 . "The Manual of the Vertebrate Animals o f the Northeast U n i t e d St a t e s , i n c l u s i v e of marine s p e c i e s " . Yonkerson-Hudson; N.Y, World Book Co. 13. Kermode, F r a n c i s 1931. "A Remarkable Capture of Leatherback T u r t l e s o f f Bajo Reef, near Nootka Sound, west coast o f Vancouver I s l a n d , B, C." Ann.Report Prov.Mas.Nat.Hist., V i c t o r i a , 1 ? 3 H - 123 -16". K n o l l , C. M. 1935* " S h i e l d V a r i a t i o n , Reduction and Age i n a Box T e r r a p i n , Terrapene C a r o l i n a " . Copeia, 1935, No. 2. 17• L o g i e r , E. B. S. 1932. "Some Account o f the Amphibians a n d Rep-t i l e s o f B r i t i s h Columbia". Contr.of the Roy.Ontario Mus.of Zool., No.5. 18. Logier, E . B. S. I928. "The Amphibians and R e p t i l e s of the Lake Nipigon Region". Trans.Royal Can.Inst., Vol.XVI, Part 2, I928. 19. Lord, John Keast 1866. "The N a t u r a l i s t i n Vancouver I s l a n d and B r i t i s h Columbia". London; Richard Bentley, V o l s . I & I I . 20. P e t i t e , Jean W. 1932. "A Western R i v e r T u r t l e " . Nature Magazine (Amer.Nature Assoc.} J u l y 1932, Vol.XX, N o . l . - 1 2 4 -21. P r a t t , H. S. 1923. "A Manual of the Vertebrates of the United States" 1. P. B l a k i s t o n , Sons and Company, P h i l a d e l p h i a . 22. Ruthven 1924. "Chrysemys b e l l i ! b e l l i ! . " Science, 59, p.340, 23. Seton, E. T. 1918» "A L i s t of the T u r t l e s , Snakes and Batrachians of Manitoba". The Ottawa N a t u r a l i s t , Nov. 1918, V o l . XXXII, No. 5. 24. Stejneger and Barbour I9I7. "A Check L i s t of North American Amphib-ians and R e p t i l e s " . 25. S t o r e r , T. I . 1930. "Notes on the Range and L i f e H i s t o r y of the P a c i f i c Eresh-water T u r t l e , Glemmys marmor-fittest • Univ.of Gal. Pub.in Zool., Vol.XXXII, No.5, pp.429-441. - 1 2 5 ~ S t o r e r , T. I * 19J2,. "The Western L i m i t of Range f o r Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i i " . Copeia, 1922, No. 1. Thacker, T. L. 1924. "Notes 011 B e l l ' s P a i n t e d T u r t l e s i n B r i t i s h Columbia". Canad.Field Nat., Yol.XXXVIII, No.9. Van Denburgh, J , 1922. "The R e p t i l e s of Western North America". Occ.Pap.Cal.Acad.Sci., 10, Y o l . I I . IHDBX TO PLATES. Dist r i b u t i o n and External Features. PLATE I. Eig. 1 - The painted t u r t l e s : t h e i r d i s t r i b u t i o n and s h e l l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s . F i g . 2 - Southwestern B r i t i s h Columbia, showing-areas inhabited by Chrysemys picta b e l l i i . ~~ PLATE I I . F iS« 3 - Chrysemys pi c t a marginata and Chrysemys picta b e l l i i , and intergrading form. Eig. 4 - Ovaries and oviducts of 155 mm. female. PLATE I I I . Eig. 5 - Adult male, 154 mm.. Fig. 6 - Female, I55 mm. PLATE IT. Fig. 7 Fig,. 8 - Ventral view of 154 mm. male t u r t l e . - Ventral view of 155 mm. female t u r t l e . PLATE V. Eig. 9 E i g . 10 PLATE T l . E i g . 11 E i g . 12. PLATE T ! I . E i g . 15 E i g , 14 E i g . 15 E i g . 16 E i g . I? E i g , 18 D o r s a l view of: (a) egg (b) newly-hatched specimen (c) specimen approximately one and one-half months o l d (d) specimen at end o f f i r s t growth season (e) specimen at end of second growth season. T e n t r a l view of above. Young specimens of £. p. b e l l i i , showing v a r i a t i o n of p a t t e r n . L e f t l a t e r a l view of 12 mm. embryo. Scale V a r i a t i o n s . Carapace o f normal I n d i v i d u a l . P l a s t r o n of normal i n d i v i d u a l . Carapace o f a d u l t female showing small supernumerary s c a l e s , Carapace of adult female showing f i v e c o s t a l s c a l e s as w e l l as small extra t r i a n g u l a r s c a l e s . Carapace of adult male showing fo u r t h n e u r a l s c a l e s p l i t i n t o t h r e e . Carapace of a d u l t female showing seven ne u r a l s c a l e s . PLATE V I I I . F i g . •1.9 - Carapace of adult female showing f i v e c o s t a l s l e f t , s i x c o s t a l s r i g h t and seven n e u r a l s . E i g . 20 - P l a s t r o n of same i n d i v i d u a l , showing supernumerary s c a l e s between the abdominal s c a l e s . E i g . 21 - Y e a r l i n g t u r t l e showing an extreme of abnormal carapace s c a l a t i o n . Eig.. 22 - Y e a r l i n g t u r t l e showing s i x neurals and f i v e p a i r s o f c o s t a l s , with no d i s t o r t i o n o f symmetry. E i g . 23 S i x year o l d female showing s c a l e r e d u c t i o n -E i g . 24 - P l a s t r o n o f same i n d i v i d u a l , showing f u s i o n of abdominal and femoral scutes of the l e f t s i d e . PLATE IX. E i g . 25 - Dorsal and v e n t r a l views of a newly-. hatched i n d i v i d u a l e x h i b i t i n g s c a l e r e d u c t i o n and other anomalies. H a b i t a t s . E i g . 26 - Muddy f l o o d pond a t Osoyoos. PLATE X. F i g . 27 - Slough by pump house a t West Summerland, F i g . 28 - Large slough by the main highway on the summit between Westbank and Peachland, PLATE XI. F i g . 29 - The same slough (fig.2 8 ) . F i g . 30 ~ A l k a l i pond a few hundred yards north of Vaseaux l a k e . PLATE XII. Eig. 31 Eig. 32 PLATE X I I I . Eig. 33 ' Eig. 34 • PLATE XIV. Eig. 35 -F i g . 36 -PLATE XV. Eig. 37 -Eig-. 38 -PLATE XvT. Mg. 39 -F i g . 40 -PLATE XVII. North end of same pond (fig.30) . One of several open nest holes, on the northern hank of Vaseaux lake Slough by the road at Oliver. Garden Bay lake, Pender Harbour. Garden Bay Lake. Ovipositi on. Sketch showing characteristic attitude of female during o v i -posi t i on. Female t u r t l e commencing nest hole. Another view of same t u r t l e . Looking northwest along the road at the north end of Garden Bay lake. Nests found i n sloping sandbank. Fourteen eggs deposited by t u r t l e . F i g . 41 - Turtle eggs from sandbank, Pender Harbour. Page Captive Specimens, Vancouver, B. C. Plate XVII (continued) 142 Fig. 42 - Very young specimens,, probably only a few days old. PLATE XVIII. 143 Fig. 43 - Two month specimens. Note specimen on i t s back, with head stretched i n characteristic pose p r i o r to righting i t s e l f . Fig. 44 - Young t u r t l e s basking i n the sunshine. PLATE XIX. 144 Fig. 45 - Half grown and adult t u r t l e s basking on the edge of the pond, Vancouver. Seasonal Growth. Fig. 46 - Drawings I l l u s t r a t i n g the development of the scales of the carapace and plastron, and the o r i g i n of growth l i n e s . - 126 -PLATE I . F i g u r e 1. The p a i n t e d t u r t l e s : t h e i r d i s t r i b u t i o n and s h e l l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s . Note: Shading on carapace r e p r e s e n t s y e l l o w ; shading on p l a s t r o n r e p r e s -ents b l a c k . F i g u r e 2. Southwestern B r i t i s h Columbia, showing areas i n h a b i t e d by Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i i , PLATE I. - 127 -PLATE I I . F i g u r e 3. Chrysemys p i c t a marginata and Chrysemys p i c t a b e l l i ! , and i n t e r g r a d i n g form. (Sishop and Schmidt.) F i g u r e 4. Ovaries and o v i d u c t s o f 155 ™ « femal (eleven years ?) showing groups o f dev e l o p i n g eggs. PLATE I I . - 1 2 8 -PLATE I I I . F i g u r e p. A d u l t male, 1^4 mm., showing c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s h e l l contour, narrow head, t h i c k t a i l . F i g u r e 6. Female (eleventh year ? ) , 155 mm., showing comparatively broader carapace, broader head. Note p a l e areas on a n t e r i o r m a r g i n a l s and the f i r s t p a i r o f c o s t a l s . These are caused by the s e p a r a t i n g away of the s c a l e s a t those p o i n t s , p r i o r t o the annual moult. PLATE I I I . Figure 6. - 129 -PLATE IY. E i g u r e 7. V e n t r a l view o f 1^4 mm. male t u r t l e . Note (a) gre a t l e n g t h o f fo r e c l a w s , (b) l o n g t h i c k t a i l (c) p o s i t i o n o f c l o a c a , w e l l away from end o f p l a s t r o n . F i g u r e 8. V e n t r a l view o f 15j? mm. female t u r t l e . Note (a) s h o r t f o r e c l a w s , (b) s h o r t e r , and much narrower, t a i l , (c) l o c a t i o n o f c l o a c a , c l o s e to p o s t e r i o r end of p l a s t r o n . PLATS IY. Figure 8. - 130 -F i g u r e 9. PLATE V. (x 4 / 3 ) D o r s a l view o f : (a) egg (Pender Harbour), (b) newly-hatched specimen (Westbank), (c) specimen approximately one and one - h a l f months o l d (Pender Harbour), (d) specimen a t end of f i r s t groY/th season. May 12, 1936; Westbank. (e) specimen a t end o f second growth season. May 12, 193&; Westbank. F i g u r e 10. V e n t r a l view of above. PLATE V. F i g u r e 10. - 131 -PLATE V I . F i g u r e 11. (x 1) Young specimens of C. p. b e l l i i , showing v a r i a t i o n o f p a t t e r n . (a) from O l i v e r , B. C. (b) from Pender Harbour, B. G. (c) from Westbank, B. C. (note egg beak) (d) abnormal specimen from Osoyoos. F i g u r e 12. L e f t l a t e r a l view o f 12 mm. embryo, June 20-August 23, 1935. (a) abdominal s c u t e (b) femoral scute (c) u m b i l i c u s . PLATE VI. r . . ^ Figure 11. Figure 12. - 1 3 2 -PLATE T i l . S c a l e v a r i a t i o n s . F i g u r e 1 3 . Carapace of normal i n d i v i d u a l . (a) nuchal s c a l e (b) n e u r a l s c a l e s ( 5 ) (c) c o s t a l s c a l e s (4 p a i r s ) (d) m a r g i n a l s c a l e s (12. p a i r s ) F i g u r e 14, P l a s t r o n o f normal i n d i v i d u a l . (a) g u l a r , (b) humeral, (c) p e c t o r a l , (d) abdominal, (e) femoral, (f) a n a l s c a l e s . F i g u r e 1 5 . Carapace o f a d u l t female from Pender Harbour, showing s m a l l t r i a n g u l a r supernumerary s c a l e s , s i t u a t e d between c o s t a l s and m a r g i n a l s . F i g u r e 1 6 . Carapace of a d u l t female from Pender Harbour, showing f i v e c o s t a l s c a l e s on e i t h e r s i d e , as w e l l as s m a l l e x t r a t r i a n g u l a r s c a l e s . A l s o note s p l i t t h i r d n e u r a l . F i g u r e 1 7 . Carapace o f a d u l t male from Pender Harbour showing f o u r t h n e u r a l s c a l e s p l i t i n t o t h r e e . F i g u r e 1 8 . Carapace o f adult female from Pender Harbour showing seven n e u r a l s c a l e s , the l a s t f o u r o f which were p r o b a b l y d e r i v e d from the s p l i t t i n g (embryon-i c a l l y ) o f s c a l e s f o u r and f i v e . PLATE V I I . - 133 -PLATE V I I I . S c a l e V a r i a t i o n s ( c o n t i n u e d ) . E i g u r e 19. Carapace of a d u l t female from Pender Har-bour, showing f i v e c o s t a l s l e f t , s i x c o s t a l s r i g h t , and seven n e u r a l s . The probable r e l a t i o n s h i p s o f the s c a l e s are i n d i c a t e d by dark shading* E i g u r e 20. P l a s t r o n o f same i n d i v i d u a l , showing super-numerary s c a l e s between the abdominal s c a l e s . F i g u r e 21. Y e a r l i n g t u r t l e from Westbank, showing an extreme of abnormal carapace s c a l a t i o n . F i g u r e 22. Y e a r l i n g t u r t l e from Westbank, showing s i x n e u r a l s and f i v e p a i r s o f c o s t a l s , w i t h no d i s t o r t i o n o f symmetry. Most unusual. F i g u r e 23. S i x year o l d female from Pender Harbour, showing s c a l e r e d u c t i o n . Only eleven m a r g i n a l s present on l e f t s i d e . A l s o s m a l l e x t r a t r i a n g u l a r s c a l e s . F i g u r e 24. P l a s t r o n o f same i n d i v i d u a l , showing f u s i o n o f abdominal and femoral scutes o f the l e f t s i d e . PLATE VTII. - 134 -PLATE IX. Sc a l e V a r i a t i o n s ( c o n t i n u e d ) . F i g u r e 23. D o r s a l and v e n t r a l views (2 l | ) o f a newly-hatched i n d i v i d u a l from Osoyoos, e x h i b i t i n g s c a l e r e d u c t i o n and oth e r anomalies. Note (a) eleven p a i r s of marginals. (b) three c o s t a l s o n the l e f t s i d e . (c) seven n e u r a l s , and two o t h e r s m a l l e x t r a s c a l e s . (d) second n e u r a l i n c o n t a c t w i t h second and t h i r d c o s t a l s , l e f t . (e) two s m a l l supernumerary s c a l e s on p l a s t r o n . H a b i t a t s . F i g u r e 26. Muddy f l o o d pond a t Osoyoos. (Osoyoos l a k e i n the background.) Many baby t u r t l e s were found around the margin o f the pond a t l e f t (north end), and o l d nes t s were common on the bank behind the seated f i g u r e s . PLATE IX. Eigure 2.5. Figure 26. - 135 -PLATE X. H a b i t a t s ( c o n t i n u e d ) . E i g u r e 27. Slough by pump house a t West Summer-la n d , May 11, 1936. T u r t l e s were baskin g upon the f l o a t i n g board, and the s l o p i n g banks. I l l u s t r a t i n g method o f capture. F i g u r e 28. Large s l o u g h by the main highway on the summit between Westbank and Peach-l a n d . T h i s was the bes t populated l o c a l i t y found - as many as f o r t y t u r -t l e s c o u l d be counted a t one time. Many y e a r l i n g s and two year o l d . May 12, 1936. PLATE X. Figure 2 8 . - 1 3 6 -PLATS XI. H a b i t a t s ( c o n t i n u e d ) . F i g u r e 29. The same slough ( f i g . 2 8 ) , showing t u r t l e s b asking on f l o a t i n g clumps of Ghara. F i g u r e 3 0 . A l k a l i pond a few hundred yards north o f vaseaux l a k e , May 1 1 , 1 9 3 6 . T u r t l e s were common here - t h i r t y c o u l d be seen a t on<2e. PLATE XI. - 137 -PLATE X I I . H a b i t a t s ( c o n t i n u e d ) . E i g u r e 3 1 . North end o f same pond ( f i g . 3 0 ) . Note t u r t l e b a s k i n g on l o g . F i g u r e 3 ^ . One of s e v e r a l open nest h o l e s , on the northern bank of Vaseaux l a k e . Note broken egg s h e l l s l y i n g around. May 1 0 , 1 9 3 6 ' PLATE XI I . F i g u r e 32. - 138 -PLATE X I I I . H a b i t a t s ( c o n t i n u e d ) . F i g u r e 3 3 . Slough-by the road a t O l i v e r , an i d e a l t u r t l e h a b i t a t . F i g u r e J>4. Garden Bay l a k e , Pender Harbour; the n o r t h - e a s t shore. June, 1 9 3 5 * PLATE XIII. Figure 33. - 1 3 9 -PLATE XIV. H a b i t a t s ( c o n t i n u e d ) . Eigure 33. Garden Bay l a k e . Logs frequented by t u r t l e s . Ovi p o s i t i o n . F i g u r e 3&. Sketch showing c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a t t i t u d e o f female d u r i n g o v i p o s i t i o n . S e c t i o n shows form o f n e s t , p o s i t i o n o f eggs, and method of p l a c i n g eggs w i t h hind, f o o t . PLATS XIV. Figure 35. 1 r 1 Figure 36. - 140 -PLATE XV. O v i p o s i t i o n ( c o n t i n u e d ) . F i g u r e 37. Pender Harbour. June 16, 1935' 6.30 p.m. Female t u r t l e commencing nest b o l e . Note p o s i t i o n of r i g h t h i n d f o o t , i n a c t of d i g g i n g . F i g u r e 38* Another view of same t u r t l e . PLATE XT. Figure 3 8 . - 141 -PLATE XVI. O v i p o s i t i o n ( c o n t i n u e d ) . F i g u r e 39. Looking northwest along the road a t the n o r t h end o f Garden Bay l a k e . The two trunks (a) i n the water were frequented by l a r g e females. Nests were found i n the s l o p i n g sandbank (b), June, 1 9 3 5 * F i g u r e 40. Fourteen eggs d e p o s i t e d by t u r t l e June 20, 1 9 3 5 , 7 . 3 0-9.00 p.m. PLATE XVI. F i g u r e 40. - 1 4 2 -PLATE XVII. O v i p o s i t i o n ( c o n t i n u e d ) . F i g u r e 41. T u r t l e eggs from the sandbank ( f i g . 3 9 ) at Pender Harbour. C a p t i v e Specimens, Vancouver, b. C. F i g u r e 42. Very young specimens, p r o b a b l y o n l y a few days o l d . Hay 1 5 , 1 9 3 6 . PLATE XVII. F i g u r e 4 2 . - 143 -PLATE XvTII. Captive Specimens (c o n t i n u e d ) . F i g u r e 43. Two month specimens. Note k e e l along mid-d o r s a l l i n e . S i x i n c h r u l e shows comparat-i v e s i z e . Note specimen on r i g h t on i t s hack, w i t h head s t r e t c h e d i n c h a r a c t e r i s t i c pose p r i o r t o r i g h t i n g i t s e l f . June, 1935' F i g u r e 44. Young t u r t l e s basking i n the sunshine. June, 1935* P L A T E X V I I I . E i g u r e 44. 1 4 4 -PLATE SIX. Ca p t i v e Specimens ( c o n t i n u e d ) . E i g u r e 45. H a l f grown and a d u l t t u r t l e s b a s k i n g on the edge of the pond, Vancouver. 1935-Seasonal Growth. E i g u r e 46. Drawings i l l u s t r a t i n g the development o f the s c a l e s of the carapace and p l a s t r o n , and the o r i g i n o f growth l i n e s . S p e c i -mens were from the slough near Westbank, September, 1933. Note the supernumerary s c a l e s on the carapace of the two year specimen. PLATE XIX. F i g u r e 45, 1 SHEII- OF CHWYsenya PICTA g s u J t , AT THE COHPIETIOW o r ONI S E A t O N * GKOWTH-1ST L I N E OF - — " ' GROWTH " -ScAkC o f l-sr V e A « , P£C-(.IMG~ O F F . 2N0- YEAR'S GROWTH. I ST- y BAR IS GROWTH-_ inPMESk 'ON * F 1ST. S C A L £ . CAHAP^U C . ?• g e t i . i i , AT rntr-y o w P t g n a w T-WO -yg-AsoHt' GROWTH Figure 46.