COLLECTING REPTILES IN SOUTH CAROLINA: 
By RAYMOND L. DITMARS, 
Assistant Curator, in Charge of Reptiles. 
To the zoologist, collecting is generally a pleasing diversion; 
hence the trip to South Carolina, planned by the writer for the 
vacation period of 1900. Accompanied by Keeper Snyder, of 
the reptile department, the writer left New York by the Savannah 
Line steamer on August 3d, returning on the 18th of the same 
month. The material collected comprised ninety-two reptiles, 
representing fourteen species, of which nine species were new to 
the Park collection. Many of the ophidians were large and brill- 
iantly colored, proving highly desirable specimens for exhibition. 
Through the courtesy of Mr. J. M. Knapp, of New York, a 
member of the Pinelands Club, every facility was given the writer 
and his associate to make the trip successful. Without the as- 
sistance of the employees of the Club, our work in the forests and 
swamps would have been exceedingly difficult. 
On the morning after our arrival at the village of Robertsville, 
Hampton County, S. C., on the outskirts of which the Pinelands 
Club is situated, we started for the “ causeway,” in a light wagon 
carrying the collecting apparatus. Frank Davis, game constable 
for the Pinelands Club, acted as our guide, carrying a Winchester 
repeating shotgun across his saddle, and emptied its twelve- 
gauge charges into several hawks. The wagon road led through 
the swamps, and into water deep enough to almost float the ve- 
hicle. We frequently alighted in the mud, to pursue water snakes, 
and several specimens of the Common Water Snake (Natrix fas- 
ciata) were unceremoniously seized by the tail before they had 
an opportunity to glide into the pools of coffee-colored water. 
Once on the “ causeway” we found ourselves in excellent col- 
lecting ground. Extending along each side of the road was a 
series of ditches, from which we noosed a number of serpents. 
