10 



IOOOOO 



J. Whitfield Gibbons and Raymond D. Semlitsch 



200 

 HOURS 



400 



Fig. 2. Comparison between hand collecting and drift fence methods. X-axis 

 represents cumulative man-hours (time investment in fence construction not 

 included). The dashed curve for hand collecting indicates cumulative number of 

 specimens of either reptiles or amphibians (specimens/ hour yields were similar). 

 The dashed curve is based on field notes of "best-case" general collecting by 

 experienced herpetologists in typical southeastern Coastal Plain terrestrial habi- 

 tats during spring or summer. Data points on drift fence curves indicate cumula- 

 tive numbers obtained at monthly intervals (approximately 35 hours each) during 

 a complete year of sampling, beginning January 1979 at Rainbow Bay. These 

 data, in constrast to hand collecting, include winter days when reptiles would not 

 ordinarily be sought by hand collectors. 



Carolina, have been collected alongside drift fences, few adults have 

 actually fallen into the traps. This is presumably the result of this highly 

 terrestrial species' awareness of topographic relief and an avoidance of 

 natural pitfalls. When some specimens of the Appalachian woodland 

 salamander, Plethodon jordani, encounter a drift fence, they will turn 



