Clarke (1958:40-45) reported _T. o. ornata_ in all terrestrial communities studied in Osage County; he considered the subspecies to be characteristic of the "... cultivated-field community ..." and to be of frequent occurrence in (but not characteristic of) the "... Oak-Walnut Hillside Forest ..., Buckbrush-Sumac ..., and Prairie communities ...". Brennan (1937:345) found _T. o. ornata_ to be equally abundant in mixed prairie and prairie-streamside habitats in Ellis County; the subspecies was much rarer on rocky hillsides and in the habitat surrounding prairie ponds. Carpenter (1940:641) listed _T. o. ornata_ as an inhabitant of "... tall and mixed-grass prairies ..." (also in Oklahoma and Nebraska). Fitch (1958:99) found the order of preference for habitats at the Natural History Reservation to be grazed pasture land, woodland, open fields with undisturbed prairie vegetation, and fallow fields with a rank growth of weeds. At the Damm Farm the greatest number of box turtles was collected on the pasture, especially in three areas designated in Plate 1 as the "northwest corner," "southern ravine," and "house pond" areas. These three areas had several features in common. All contained ravines and rocky slopes that provided many places of concealment (dens, burrows of larger animals, and suitable substrate for the excavation of earthen forms). All contained water (in ponds and intermittent streams) for most of the year; and, all were frequented daily by cattle that left an abundant supply of dung in which box turtles foraged. In addition, each of the three areas contained at least one mulberry tree, under which fruit was abundant in the months of June and July. The relative numbers of box turtles found in different areas on the Damm Farm were, of course, governed to some extent by my activity in these areas and by the relative ease with which box turtles were seen in different types of vegetational cover. Turtles were more easily seen in the pasture (especially in sparsely vegetated or denuded areas) where much of my field work was done on horseback, than in the wooded areas, where excursions were usually made on foot. It was evident, however, after mapping known ranges and studying patterns of movement in marked turtles, that concentrations in the three above-mentioned areas of pasture were an indication of actual preference by turtles for the more favorable habitat in these areas rather than the result of incomplete sampling. REPRODUCTION Mating Mating takes place throughout the season of activity but is most common in spring--soon after emergence from hibernation--and in autumn. Turtles frequently copulated in the laboratory in spring and autumn. Copulation was observed under natural conditions on several occasions but only once at the Damm Farm.