Taking the reptiles in their natural order, we must begin with the
tortoises. There is a group of these slow-moving reptiles called
terrapins in North America. One of the most common is the lettered
terrapin, which inhabits rivers, lakes, and even marshes, where it lives
on frogs and worms. It is especially detested by the angler, as it is
apt to take hold of his bait, and when he expects to see a fine fish at
the end of his line, he finds that a little tortoise has hold of it.
The back is of a dark brown, the edges being ornamented with scarlet
marks, like some Eastern alphabet in form.