22 Robert Wayne Van Devender and Paul F. Nicoletto 



the southern and western slopes of Adams Mountain and the western 

 slope of Loose Mountain (USGS Collettsville 7.5' topographic map). 

 The site was centered near 81°44'W 35°36'N along county road 1328 

 three to five km north of county road 1337 and about 2.5 km north of 

 Brown Mountain Beach resort. 



In this area, Wilson Creek cuts a gorge that drops off from about 

 700 m (2300') to the streambed at 365 m (1200'). The northeastern side 

 of the gorge, which includes the study area, consists of steep, rugged 

 slopes with exposed granite bedrock interdigitating with woods domi- 

 nated by stunted oaks {Quercus ssp.), maples {Acer ssp.), sweet gum 

 {Liquidambar), and Virginia pines (Pinus virginiana). Occasional small 

 patches of vegetation are isolated in extensive areas of bare rock. Deep 

 crevices and fissures are common throughout the area and abundant in 

 the streambed. 



The site was searched for reptiles several times in August 1980 and 

 weekly from September 1, 1980 until March 15, 1981. Sporadic visits 

 were then made through August 1981. Thirty-six site visits were made, 

 and over ninety hours were spent searching for reptiles. During warmer 

 periods visual searches for active animals were supplemented by turning 

 rocks and logs. Winter searches were mostly visual searches of the fis- 

 sured granite along the creek. Species and activity were recorded when- 

 ever a reptile was encountered. Voucher specimens of most species were 

 deposited in the vertebrate collection at Appalachian State University. 



In order to learn more about the local environment and to deter- 

 mine whether it was unique in any way, temperature and rainfall data 

 were obtained for the Wilson Creek area and compared with similar 

 data for comparable elevations at nearby Lenoir (U. S. Weather Ser- 

 vice). A thermograph was placed at Brown Mountain Beach resort on 

 September 1, 1980 and checked weekly until March 15, 1981. Data were 

 recorded for 186 days when the thermograph functioned properly. Rainfall 

 data for Wilson Creek consisted of fifteen years of data from Mortimer, 

 a short distance upstream from the study area (U. S. Forest Service 

 environmental statement for the Wilson Creek area, pers. comm., Mr. 

 Pat Cook, District Ranger). Lenoir was chosen for comparison because 

 of its proximity and because Nicoletto's experience in the area indicated 

 that none of the unusual species occurred there. 



Since temperature, in its various guises, potentially limits reptile 

 distributions, daily maximum and minimum temperatures at Wilson 

 Creek were used separately as independent variables in linear regres- 

 sions against paired Lenoir data (MINITAB computer program pack- 

 age; Ryan et al. 1976). These regressions and long term data for Lenoir 

 (49 years, U. S. Weather Service) were used to estimate mean monthly 

 minimum temperatures at Wilson Creek. Monthly and annual rainfall 



