26 CIRCULAR 520, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



exclusive residence in salt marshes. The same is true among other 

 kinds of wildlife, and one important group, the amphibians (toads, 

 frogs, salamanders, and the like), are totally banned because their 

 tender skins will not endure salt. 



REPTILES 



Comparatively few reptiles penetrate the salt marshes, though of 

 course a number may be found near the landward edge (this is true 

 of the amphibians, too), where conditions may become radically dif- 

 ferent in a short distance. 



The alligator (Alligjitor mississippiensis) , which all will recognize 

 on sight, occasionally sojourns in salt water and at times, therefore, 

 may be seen in the marshes. The normal range of the alligator is 

 from North Carolina southward, but a few, possibly escaped from 

 captivity, have been found as far north as New Jersey. Alligators 

 deposit their eggs in layers in mounds of muck and vegetation 

 scraped together by the female. Owing to the heat produced by 

 the rotting of the vegetation, these serve as incubators. The animals 

 usually have individual deep holes or dens under water. They feed 

 on crabs, crawfishes, water insects, fishes, turtles, and sometimes 

 larger creatures. There are old records of alligators 20 feet or more 

 long, but at the present time a 12-foot animal is a very large one, 

 and 15 feet is about the limit of verified size. Their numbers have 

 been greatly reduced by hunting for the hides, which are used exten- 

 sively by the leather industry in making traveling bags and in 

 ornamental leather work. 



The diamondback terrapin {Malaclemys centrata) (pi. 6, B) is a 

 natural denizen of salt marshes from New Jersey southward. Its 

 not very fitting name is suggested by the concentric ridging of the 

 plates of the carapace, or upper shell. This turtle is plainly colored, 

 greenish to black. It is the favorite catch for turtle stew and has 

 been so hunted for the market that it is rare in most localities. Some 

 success has been attained in raising diamondbacks in captivity. 



The cottonmouth moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus) (pi. 6, A), a 

 dangerously poisonous snake, is semiaquatic and a good swimmer, 

 apparently unafraid of salt water, and may be found along the coast 

 from North Carolina south. Its general color is dark chestnut- 

 brown with some darker barring and with the throat and some slight 

 stripes about the head yellowish white. The common name of this 

 snake refers to the white lining of the mouth, which it is said the 

 snake displays briefly before biting. The cottonmouth has a trian- 

 gular form of head distinctly wider than the neck, which is charac- 

 teristic of most poisonous snakes of the United States. This is a 

 useful mark for separating it from large, dusky individuals of the 

 common water snake, which may look surprisingly like a dully col- 

 ored cottonmouth moccasin. Cottonmouths may attain a length of 

 4 feet and are of stocky build. They^ are not aggressive, and most 

 cases of snake bite in which they are involved are due to the reptile 

 being stepped on. Emergency treatment involves the placing of a 

 tourniquet between the wound and the heart, loosening it for a min- 

 ute or 2 every 10 or 15 minutes, cutting open the wound to secure 

 good drainage, and removing as much of the venom as possible by sue- 



