118 E.E.Brown 



Richmond, Rowan, Rutherford and Watauga cos., NC, and Abbeville, 

 Barnwell, Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, 

 Marlboro and Sumter cos., SC. 



Masticophis flagellum flagellum. Eastern Coachwhip. 



Sixteen food items were recovered from 12 stomachs: 8 reptiles (6 

 Cnemidophorus sexlineatus, 1 Eumeces sp., 1 35 mm CL Chrysemys concinna); 5 

 mammals (1 Peromyscus sp. 4 undetermined); and 3 arthropods (2 cicada 

 nymphs and 1 large Amblyomma tuberculatum, a tick). Both cicada nymphs 

 were in a small snake from Charleston County, South Carolina. The tick, 

 in the stomach of a larger snake, was 27 mm long and engorged with 

 blood. Cooney and Hays (1972) regard this tick as host specific in the 

 adult and nymphal stages to the tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, and they 

 believe it to be the largest tick in the United States, possibly the largest 

 known. (A number of non-engorged ticks were collected from a large tor- 

 toise that was intercepted nearby.) The snake involved was found in a 

 shallow Gopher tortoise burrow in Jasper County, South Carolina, along 

 with specimens of Bufo terrestns. However, neither this snake nor another 

 found in a similar situation had taken a toad. 



Snakes examined were from Cumberland and Hoke cos., NC, and 

 Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Edgefield, Jasper, Kershaw, Lexing- 

 ton, McCormick and Sumter cos., SC. 



Opheodrys aestivus, Rough Green Snake. 



This snake is partial to insect and arachnid prey. Fifty-nine stomachs 

 contained 125 food items, mostly of three major groupings: lepidoptera 

 (59.2 percent of items: 2 moths, 72 larvae); orthoptera (17.6 percent of 

 items: 15 grasshoppers, 4 field and tree crickets, 2 mantids, 1 undeter- 

 mined); and arachnids (13.6 percent of items: 12 spiders, 1 spider egg co- 

 coon, 4 phalangids). One tiger beetle, 5 undetermined insects and 4 small 

 snails were also present. Lepidoptera occurred almost twice as frequently 

 as both the other major groups combined and larvae of phalaenids, 

 hesperiids, goemetrids, nymphalids and sphingids were recognized. One 

 was only 10 mm in length. Recognizable spiders included lycosids, 

 araneids and attids. Stomachs contained from one to eight food items. 



These snakes were collected from April to October, with 59 percent 

 taken during June, July and August. They were from Alexander, 

 Brunswick, Chatham, Columbus, Craven, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklen- 

 burg, Richmond and Rowan cos., NC, and Berkeley, Colleton, Dillon, 

 Horry and Sumter cos., SC. 



Elaphe guttata guttata, Corn Snake 



Ten food-laden specimens of this largely Coastal Plain form were en- 

 countered. They yielded 10 food items: 9 mammals (3 Microtus 



