NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



443 



(Diadophis punctatus punctatus), under 

 rocks and loose bark of fallen trees; 

 king snake (Lampropeltis getulus), dry 

 patches of timber; hog-nosed snake 

 (Heterodon contortrix) ; copperhead snake 

 (Agkistrodon mokasen), poisonous, not 

 found in lowlands; timber rattlesnake 

 (Crotalus horridus), poisonous, in moun- 

 tains and other inaccessible regions, 

 was once generally distributed. 



b. Coniferous forest. The coniferous 

 forest is chiefly pine. In the more 

 typical portions of this region there 

 may be considerable areas of almost 

 pure stand of longleaf pine, growing in 

 open park-like fashion on rather dry 

 sandy soil. Elsewhere, two species of 

 shortleaf pine together with the long- 

 leaf pine contribute chiefly to the for- 

 mation of the coniferous forest. Other 

 evergreen and deciduous trees included 

 in the region of coniferous forest are 

 mostly confined to low wet land or 

 stream borders, and hence cannot be 

 considered a component part of the 

 coniferous forest itself. 



Animals. Mammals. Howell mole, 

 sandy or loamy soil; southeastern wolf, 

 once here; gray fox, in all sections; 

 deer mouse, in mixed conifer and decidu- 

 ous forest; pine mouse (Pitymys pineto- 

 rum pinetorum), less common here than 

 in meadows and bottomland; Alabama 

 pocket-gopher (Geomys tuza mobilensis), 

 called ' 'salamander," occurs in southern 

 Alabama east of Tombigbee River, 

 common in sandy pine flats or mixed 

 timber, burrows extensively in poor 

 uncultivated land ; Carolina fox squirrel 

 (Sciurus niger niger), limited to dry 

 pine forest, in southeast corner of state; 

 Bachman fox squirrel, intergrades with 

 typical niger and ranges over rest of 

 state; southeastern flying squirrel, in 

 all sections, in hollow trees and stumps; 

 eastern cottontail rabbit, common in 

 thickets; Virginia deer, once here; red 

 bat, commoD, in trees in summer, some- 

 times in caves in winter; evening bat, 

 abundant, hibernates in winter. 



Birds (A. H. H.). Mourning dove, 

 great horned owl, red-cockaded wood- 

 pecker, chuck-wilPs-widow, blue jay, 



crow, fish crow, Bachman sparrow, 

 summer tanager, yellow-throated warb- 

 ler, black-throated green warbler, pine 

 warbler, brown-headed nuthatch. 



Reptiles. Chameleon; common swift 

 (Sceloporus undulatus), dry sandy pine- 

 lands, or on fallen pines; spiny swift 

 (Sceloporus spinosus floridanus)', race 

 runner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus) , 

 common, dry sandy places; scorpion, 

 in dry pine woods; ground lizard; black 

 snake (Coluber constrictor), generally 

 abundant, dry open situations; coach- 

 whip snake (C. flagellum flagellum), 

 habits similar to black snake; gray rat 

 snake; corn snake (Elaphe guttata), 

 found under bark of dead pine trees in 

 spring; DeKay's snake (Storeria dekayi), 

 nocturnal, beneath logs and stones; 

 green snake; ring-necked snake; scarlet 

 king snake (Lampropeltis elapsoides 

 elapsoides), burrowing, or under loose 

 bark of dead pine trees; king snake; 

 hog-nosed snake, dry sandy places; 

 copperhead snake; pigmy rattlesnake 

 (Sistrurus miliarius), dry sandy areas, 

 cut-over pineland; timber rattlesnake. 



C. Prairie. The prairie belt is a 

 strip 35 to 45 mi. wide extending across 

 Alabama just south of the central part 

 (between Sumter and Russell counties). 

 It corresponds with, and is no doubt 

 caused by, the black belt of rich lime- 

 stone-marl soil which has already been 

 mentioned. The prairie belt contains, 

 besides considerable amounts of prairie 

 or treeless plain, a certain proportion 

 of swamp, canebrake, and even of 

 deciduous and conifer wooded patches 

 all of which are not unlike corresponding 

 regions elsewhere in the state. The 

 prairie region, being treeless and espe- 

 cially fertile, was most easily available 

 for cultivation. It is mostly prairie 

 animals which are found in cultivated 

 fields, not only in the original prairie 

 belt but in other parts of the state. 

 Land which has been cultivated and 

 later abandoned is more favorable for 

 animal life than land actually under 

 cultivation. 



Animals. Mammals. Southeastern 

 wolf, formerly; gray fox; eastern cotton- 



