TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 87 
DEPARTMENT OF REPTILES. 
Raymond L. Ditmars, Curator; Charles E. Snyder, Head Keeper. 
An important event, of the past year, in this department, 
was the Curator’s collecting trip, which very fully filled the gaps 
in the collections of the Reptile House. We had experienced 
much difficulty in maintaining the collections at a high standard, 
owing to war conditions and the consequent lack of Old World 
specimens. 
The expedition to South Carolina for reptiles resulted in 
the capture of over 560 specimens, representing over 40 species, 
as follows: Crocodilia, 1 species; turtles and tortoises, 7 species ; 
lizards, 7 species; serpents, 19 species; amphibians, 9 species. 
The collection of snakes was particularly noteworthy. De- 
ducting the weight of the crates shipped north, the weight in 
captive serpents was over a quarter of a ton—530 pounds. Fine 
examples of the cane-brake rattlesnake and many huge speci- 
mens of the “cotton-mouth” snake, or moccasin, were collected. 
There was a very complete series of the several species and sub- 
species of the brightly colored, non-venomous water snakes— 
some of very large size. 
One large alligator and a number of small ones were shipped 
to the Park. The time consumed in this trip was from April 
23, to May 10. The Curator and his assistant, Keeper George 
Palmer, of the Reptile House Staff, worked through various 
kinds of sub-tropical country, embracing large areas of cypress 
swamp, hammocks, savannahs and pine woods, all in Jasper 
County, South Carolina. The Zoological Society Bulletin has 
already published several articles from observations made dur- 
ing the trip. 
After fifteen years of caring for snakes of various types, 
and always with a large and representative series of the poison- 
ous species, the first accident from a venomous serpent occurred 
in the Reptile House on the morning of January 27, of the past 
year. While cleaning one of the easterly cages, Keeper John 
Toomey was bitten on the right thumb by a large and particu- 
larly savage Texas diamond-back rattlesnake. 
Our men are well versed in first-aid treatment for snake- 
bite, and Senior Keeper Snyder at once sucked the wounds. A 
ligature was immediately applied and the Society’s physician, 
Dr. Gilbert Van der Smissen, quickly arrived and injected Dr. 
