Beth Quinn, age 11, of Wichita, Kansas, for her question:

What do you feed a turtle?

Beth is a great one for the world of nature. She carefully captures wild turtles and takes plaster casts of their shells, to be admired later. Now she wishes to keep one of these turtles as a pet. But she wants to be sure she can give him the best of care. Of course this lucky turtle will be given a terrarium home that copies his natural surroundings. He will have a small pond, growing plants and a few stones for sun bathing.

A turtle's menu includes raw meat, vegetables and fresh fruit. He enjoys hamburger and bits of fish. For a change of pace, his meat course may be an earthworm or a grasshopper. He likes lettuce and tender greens, though you should serve these in smallish helpings. Any sort of fresh fruit will be fine for dessert. Sometimes a pet turtle gets sore eyes or his shell goes soft. Chances are he needs more hours of sunshine. A small gob of plaster of Paris placed in his pond may help to harden his shell. A swabbing with mild boric acid will sooth his sore eyes.