The number of eggs in 23 clutches ranged from two to eight (mean, 4.7 ± 1.37 [sigma]); clutches of four, five, and six eggs were most common, occurring in 18 (78 per cent) instances. The tendency for large females to lay more eggs than small females (Fig. 6) was not so pronounced as that reported by Cagle (1950:38) for _Pseudemys scripta_. The small size of _T. ornata_, in comparison with other emyid turtles, seemingly limits the number of eggs that can be accommodated internally. The number of eggs per clutch in T. carolina [2 to 7, average 4.2, Allard (1935:331)], is nearly the same as that of _T. ornata_.
[Illustration: FIG. 6. The relation of plastral length to number of eggs laid by 21 females of _T. o. ornata_ from eastern Kansas.]
Shells of the eggs are translucent and pinkish or yellowish when the eggs are in the oviducts. After several days outside the oviducts the shells become chalky-white and nearly opaque. Eggs incubated in the laboratory retained the pinkish color somewhat longer than elsewhere on their under-surfaces, which were in contact with moist cotton, but eventually even this part of the shell became white. Infertile eggs remained translucent and eventually became dark yellow, never becoming white; they could be distinguished from fertile eggs on the basis of color alone. Shells of infertile eggs became brittle and slimy after several weeks.
The outer layer of the shell of a freshly laid egg is brittle and cracks when the egg is dented. After a few days, when the eggs begin to expand, the shell becomes flexible and has a leathery texture. The shell is finely granulated but appears smooth to the unaided eye. The granulations are approximately the same as those illustrated by Agassiz (1857:Pl. 7, Fig. 18) for _T. carolina_.
Eggs are ellipsoidal. Data concerning size and weight (consisting of mean, one standard deviation, and extremes, respectively) taken from 42 eggs (representing 9 clutches) within 24 hours after they were laid, or dissected from oviducts, are as follows: length, 36.06 ± 2.77 (31.3-40.9); width, 21.72 ± 1.04 (20.0-26.3); and weight, 10.09 ± 1.31 (8.0-14.3). There was a general tendency for smaller clutches to have larger eggs; the largest and heaviest were in the smallest clutch (two eggs) and the smallest were in the largest clutch (eight eggs). Risley (1933:697) reported such a correlation in _Sternotherus odoratus_, as did Allard (1935:331) in _T. carolina_. Measurements in the literature of the size of eggs of _T. ornata_ suggest a width greater than that stated above, probably because some eggs already had begun to expand when measured.