Woodbury and Hardy (1948:171) found desert tortoises (_Gopherus agassizi_) in dormancy from mid-October to mid-April in southwestern Utah; some tortoises became temporarily active on warm days in winter. Cahn (1937:102) was able to compare hibernation in several individuals each of _T. ornata_ and _T. carolina_, kept under the same conditions in Illinois. Individuals of _T. ornata_ burrowed into the ground in October, two weeks before those of _T. carolina_ did, and continued to burrow to a maximum depth of 22½ inches. Some individuals of _T. carolina_ spent the entire winter in the mud bottom of a puddle and became semiactive on warm winter days. Other individuals of _T. carolina_ burrowed nearly as deeply as did _T. ornata_. Individuals of _T. ornata_ emerged from hibernation one or two weeks later in the spring than did those of _T. carolina_. There are some indications that populations of _T. carolina_ in eastern Kansas are dormant for a shorter period of time than those of _T. ornata_ but comparative studies are needed to verify this. Richard B. Loomis gave me a large female of _T. carolina_ that he found active beside a highway in Johnson County, Kansas, on November 23, 1954; on that date most individuals of _T. ornata_ under my observation had already begun permanent hibernation but a few at the Reservation were still semiactive. Fitch (1956b:438) listed earliest and latest dates on which box turtles were active at the Reservation in the years 1950 to 1954; in the five year period box turtles were active an average of 162 days per year (range, 140-187) or approximately 5.3 months of the year. It is significant that 1954, having the most days of activity was, according to my studies of growth-rings, an exceptionally good year for growth. Fitch's data indicate the approximate season of growth and reproduction but not of total activity, since he did not take into account the sporadic movements of box turtles in late fall and early spring. Activity in autumn is characterized by movement into ravines and low areas; many turtles move into wooded strips along the edges of fields or small streams. Sites protected from wind, providing places for basking and for burrowing, are sought. Burrows of other animals, along the banks of ravines, were often used for temporary shelter; overhanging sod at the lips of ravine-banks provided cover beneath which turtles could easily burrow. After mid-October progressively fewer box turtles were found in open places and activity was restricted to a few hours in the warmest part of the day. Low air temperature probably is the primary stimulus for hibernation. Autumn rains are usually followed by a decrease in general activity. Rain probably hastens burrowing by softening the ground.