90 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [1890 



schist region below Parkton, and near White Hall, in Balti- 

 more County. In this last named section the Copperhead is 

 known to be common. It is most active during the night, and 

 he has seen specimens lying on the track of the Northern 

 Central railroad which had been cut in two pieces by the 

 passing trains. It also lives among the broken shales on the 

 summit of South Mountain, near Boonsboro, Md. 



The species was formerly not rare on the head- waters of 

 Gwynn's Falls, in the vicinity of Pikesville, and was there to 

 be found in rocky places about the thin woods, distributed 

 along the broken borders of the stream. It occurs also in the 

 sandy and marshy, wooded low grounds of the Pocomoke flood 

 basin, south of Snow Hill, in Worcester County, Md. 



Habits. — In the summer season they lie concealed during the 

 day beneath a heap of brush-wood, straw, a pile of fence rails, 

 or stones in the fields or woods near their haunts, or, having 

 crawled under a wheat-shock or hay-cock, are sometimes hauled 

 with the wheat or hay into the barn. Occasionally an individual 

 is found under a hog pen or even in the horse stable. It may be 

 that they thus seek this shelter from the direct rays of the sun, 

 as such places are generally cool and damp, or as likely, a cover 

 for mice and insects, upon which these reptiles feed. 



Toward evening they leave these retreats and move about 

 with greater activity and are more alert than during the day. 



I have never seen the Copperhead climb into bushes or trees, 

 nor bask on . warm rocks in sunny places, nor rest on the branch 

 of a bush or tree overhanging the streams or ponds of water, as 

 is the habit with the black snake, garter snake and water- 

 moccasin. 



A friend told me of a den in which he had counted seven 

 Copperheads, and upon visiting the place I found but three 

 specimens. The den was situated' under the roots of a tree that 

 had been overturned by the wind, and grew in a rocky piece of 

 woodland. 



Last August I visited Piscataway creek, back of Fort Wash- 

 ington, in company with Prof. P. E,. Uhler, who was desirous 

 of investigating certain geological formations at that point. 

 Several abrupt bluifs along the river, as well as the deep 



