216 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



as numerous as in many examples of Diadophis punctatus punctatus from the 

 Southeastern States. Some of them also have a few dark flecks on their chins. 

 None of these specimens, however, has an interrupted neck ring and the sum 

 of the ventrals and subcaudals in every case is well in excess of 190 (as in 

 typical edwardsii) . These snakes may be considered as being aberrant since 

 they constitute only a very small segment of the Ohio population of Diadophis 

 as a whole. 



Wood reports that he found a female in Pike County with two eggs (pre- 

 sumably hers) "beneath a flat stone on a steeply-sloped hillside." She 

 remained with the eggs, which were somewhat collapsed but uninjured; the 

 maximum lengths were 32 and 34.5 mm., respectively. Wood also states that, 

 "during other collecting work on top of Greenbrier Ridge, Pike County, in 

 September, 1944, I took apart a flat-stone building foundation, and in the 

 process counted fragments of the shells of 90 Diadophis eggs. The central 

 depression in this foundation was permanently moist, and it provided a breed- 

 ing and egg deposition site for Ambystoma opacum during the months of 

 October and November of the several years this area was observed." 



A juvenile from Vinton County (OUVC 113) measures only 111 mm. 

 (4% inches) in length and is hence the smallest ring-necked snake on record 

 from Ohio. 



Heterodon platyrhinos platyrh'tnos (Latreille) 

 Eastern Hoq-Nosed Snake 



(PagD 41 ; maps 8 and 45; plate 6, fig. 1) 



Cogent arguments have been advanced by Klauber (1948, 7) to prove 

 that the specific name contortrix should be applied to the copperhead rather 

 than to the hog-nosed snake (see page 253 for details). Thus the next old- 

 est name, platyrhinos, must be assigned to Heterodon. 



There is a rather poorly-defined subspecies, Heterodon p. browni, that 

 occurs in southern Florida and for which allowance should be made upon the 

 general range map (page 42) . In browni there are fewer than 20 light cross- 

 bars on the body and the small (azygous) scale between the intemasals is 

 usually lacking. New Ohio records for hog-nosed snakes are: 



Athens County: Athens (OUVC 381. 1236); 1 mi. SE of AtSens (OUVC 

 1245); Buchtel (HTG). Butler Counti': Reily Twp. (OSM 499, 689); Talla- 

 wanda Creek, Oxford (MU 24). Clermont County : (SL 433); Stcnelick C-eek, 

 near Owensvilie (CM 23951). Fairfield County: (OSM 519). Hocking County: 

 Cedar Falls (WED 181); "Neotoma," Good Hope Twp. (OSM 591, 833.1-2~all 

 melanistic). Jackson County: (OUVC 313); Coal Twp. (OUVC 1855); Jrckson 

 Twp. (OUVC 563); Milton Twp. (OUVC 822). Licking Count\-: Black Hand 

 Gorge (OSM 498); Granville (OSM 497, 740). LucAs CoUNTY: Oak Openings 

 (SL 802). Montgomery County: 3 ml. W of Germantown (DPLM 92.42): Ger- 

 mantown Dam (DPLM 88.42, 93.42. 301.42, 303.42). Muskingum County: Zanes- 

 ville (OSM 756). Paulding County: Wj mi. SW of Charloe, Brown Twp. 

 (OLE,). Pike County: Old Baldy (DPLM 385.44— melanistic) ; Pike Lake 

 (DPLM 687.44— melanistic) ; Lake White (OUVC 1856). Ross County: SW of 

 Bainbrldge (OSM 881); 3 mi. SW of Bainbridge (DPLM 647.44— melanistic). 

 Wood reports specimens from Nelsonville, Athens County, and from Germantown, 

 Montgomery County. Rofkar states that the hog-nosed snake, once not uncommon in 

 his vicinity, "has not been seen on Catawba 'Island.' Ottawa County, for years." 



