TABLE 7.--Occurrence of Insects, by Frequency and Volume, in Stomachs of 23 _Terrapene ornata_ from Douglas County, Kansas. Relative Volume is Based on Total Amount of Food Material Present, Excluding Stones and Vegetable Material Contained in Dung. ===================+=========+=============+==============+========== | Insects | Orthoptera | Lepidoptera |Coleoptera | (all) | | (larvae) | -------------------+---------+-------------+--------------+---------- Average | | | | volumetric | | | | percentage | 88.6 | 28.7 | 26.9 | 32.5 -------------------+---------+-------------+--------------+---------- Range | | | | (volumetric | trace | | | percentage) | to 100 | 0 to 100 | 0 to 100 | 0 to 100 -------------------+---------+-------------+--------------+---------- Frequency of | | | | occurrence | | | | (percentage | 100 | 52 | 65 | 74 of total stomachs | | | | in which found) | | | | -------------------+---------+-------------+--------------+---------- Snails, sowbugs, and the one individual of crayfish found in stomachs were kinds that could be expected to occur in moist grassland or in wooded stream courses. Mulberries were present in one stomach and fragments of bird's-nest fungi (_Cyathus striatus_) were present in another. Carrion consisted of remains of mammals and birds; the only identifiable items were bones of the eastern cottontail (_Sylvilagus floridanus_) and a chicken. Stones up to seven millimeters in diameter were found in many stomachs; stones constituted as much as half of total stomach-contents. Presumably the stones were accidentally swallowed when food was taken from the ground. The few adequate reports on dietary habits of _T. carolina_ (Allard, 1935:325-326; Carr, 1952:147, 150, 152, 153; Stickel, 1950:361; Surface, 1908:175-177) indicate that the species is omnivorous but that individuals tend to be herbivorous or carnivorous at certain times. Ornate box turtles resemble _T. carolina_ in being opportunistic feeders but rely on insects as a staple part of the diet. In this respect the ornate box turtle seems to differ from all other kinds of box turtles in the United States and it is probably unique in its habitual utilization of dung communities as a source of food. POPULATIONS Ornate box turtles were probably more numerous on the Damm Farm than any other kinds of reptiles, excepting skinks (_Eumeces fasciatus_ and _E. obsoletus_), and were by far the most conspicuous element of the reptilian fauna.