tadpoles, water beetles and crayfish. The hshes 

 proved to be young Acantharchus pomotis and HJsox 

 americanus. The whole section of country was 

 suffering from an almost unprecedented drought, 

 and many ponds and small streams which undoubt- 

 edly contained fish under normal conditions were 

 absolutely dry, while in the big river swamps the 

 water was entirely restricted to the channels. 



WITMEB STONE, 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



POISONOUS SNAKES NEAR 

 NEW YORK CITY 



It will be of interest to herpetologists to learn 

 of the occurrence of poisonous snakes in the 

 southerly portion of Westchester County. For 

 some years past the writer has had reports of the 

 occurrence of copperhead snakes and occasional 

 rattlesnakes in the region immediately north of 

 White Plains and south of Mt. Kisco. He has 

 been sceptical of these reports owing to the habits 

 of several species of non-poisonous snakes which 

 vibrate their tails when angry, causing these to be 

 mistaken for rattlesnakes. There is also the com- 

 mon habit among local observers without proper 

 knowledge of mistaking harmless water snakes 

 ( TropidonotusJ and the fiat-headed "adders" 

 ( Heterodon) for the copperhead snake. Of late, 

 however, there have been persistent rumors of 

 copperhead snakes in the hills near North White 

 Plains. The country is quite wild and few people 

 roam about the hilly portions. On the 25th of June 

 a friend of the writer confirmed these rumors by 

 capturing a large copperhead snake ( Ancistrodon 

 eontortrix ) on a hill a short distance from North 

 White Plains. This is the nearest definite record 



