TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 87 



DEPARTMENT OF REPTILES. 

 l{a\ iiioiul I,. Ditmars, Curator; C"hark'>, )•!. Snyder, Ilrad Keeper. 



An important event, of the past year, in this department, 

 A^as 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 w^eight 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 countrj^ 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. 



