They must measure six inches in length
uu tbe under shell, and a little notched
stick decides whether they are to pass
inspection or not; if so, they are known as
'lull counts." J he second class are but
about five inches in lecgth, and are called
'heifers,' while tbe smallest of all are the
males or "bulls," and are distinguished
from young terrapin by a slight groove,
which extends lengthwise on tbe under
shell. These are only edible when used
in soup.
The terrapin which reach our markets
are cither freshly caught or are from the
pens where tbey have bee retained until
the season opens. The former are by
long otitis the most delicious. Tbey are
found by tbe terrapin-hunters hibernating
in tbe mud. and are extremely fat and
juicy. Along our coast, and especially
where they are plentiful, persons make
a living oy collecting terrapin. At every
low tide the hunters sally forth, armed
with their short, spear-suiped stick, to
probe tbe marohes and bag their prey. The
terrapin at the approach of cold weather
leave the deep channels of the creeks and
clamber up the sloping banks, where they
bury themselves some six or eight inches
in the mud. A favorite place is on
shelving point at the intersection of a nar
row dram with tome wide thoroughfare.
Although bid from tbe eye and apparent
ly housed for their long winter's nap, they
leave signs behind which lead to their de
tection. Either an indentation on tbe
surface of the mud or a tiny air-hole gives
tbe hunter bis clew, and the stick soon
glances off tbe shell of the reel jse. It is
quickly pried up and dropped in the bag.
