Nesting occurs from May through July but is most common in mid-June; some of the females nesting early in the season lay a second clutch of eggs in July. Nests are dug in the earth by the female using her hind legs. Preferred nesting sites are open, well-drained places with a soft substrate. The nesting site is selected after a period of wandering, in which the female tests the substrate at a number of places; some females search for a nest site for more than a week. Nest digging begins in the evening and is usually completed after dark. Captive females dug a preliminary cavity in which the body rested during the digging of the main nest cavity. The entire clutch of eggs is laid in one nest. The average number of eggs in 23 clutches was 4.7 (range, 2 to 8). The average size of eggs tends to be inversely proportional to the number of eggs in a clutch. Eggs increase in bulk by absorption of water in the course of incubation. Immersion in water for short periods does not harm eggs. The incubation period under favorable environmental conditions is approximately 65 days; cool, damp conditions prolong the incubation period and probably constitute an important factor of prenatal mortality in certain years. Eggs that do not hatch before winter probably do not survive. Emergence of hatchlings from the nest may, however, be delayed until spring if the soil is dry in autumn. Hatchlings can probably escape freezing by burrowing into the walls of the nest. Infertility and prenatal mortality account for at least 40 per cent of the eggs laid, according to laboratory findings. Progeny of a single adult female (considering factors of mortality, multiple layings, and average age of puberty) would number approximately 300 after 20 years. Reproductive processes probably continue throughout life, although possibly at a somewhat reduced rate in later life. Young box turtles are active soon after hatching but become quiescent if allowed to burrow in soil or if they are covered with damp cotton. Some captive hatchlings take live food in the first days of life but others do not eat until the following spring; initiation of growth is coincident with initiation of regular feeding. The yolk sac retracts mainly during hatching; it sometimes ruptures after hatching. The caruncle remains on the beak for a variable length of time, but never is present in the spring following hatching.