114 
THIRTEENTH REPORT. 
NOTES ON MICHIGAN REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS, III. 
ALEXANDER G. RUTH VEX. 
A considerable amount of additional data on Michigan reptiles and 
amphibians has accumulated at the University of Michigan Museum dur- 
ing the past year. Most of it, however, was obtained by the Cass County 
and Mershon (Charity Island) expeditions, and, as the Cass County 
material is to be reported upon by Miss Thompson 1 and the data secured 
by the Mershon expedition is not to be published until after next sum- 
mer’s (1911) work, there remains but little for me to report upon. 
Diacfophis punctata (Linnaeus). 
One of the two most noteworthy additions to the herpetology of Michi- 
gan this year was the finding of a specimen of the ring-necked snake at 
Pine Lake. Oakland County. The specimen was found under the bark of 
a decaying stump, May 15, 1910, by A. W. Andrews, W. W. Newcomb 
and P. A. Taverner, and is now, thanks to the kindness of these men. 
in the museum collection. The scutellation is as follows: dorsal scale 
rows 15, upper labials 7, lower labials 7, oculars 2-2, temporals 1-1, 
centrals 147, subcaudals 57. It is a male and the total length is 37S nun., 
and the tail length 92 mm. 
The ring-necked snake is quite rare in Michigan, and its distribution 
is very uncertain. The records in the literature are as follows: Mich- 
igan 2 ; Ann Arbor 3 ; Grayling 4 ; Eaton County 5 ; Olivet, Kalamazoo, and 
Montcalm and Van Buren Counties; 6 Marquette 7 . 
The specimen upon which Smith’s Ann Arbor record was probably 
based is in the Museum. It is the only one that I have seen from this 
locality. Of its occurrence in Eaton County, Clark says: “Rather rare: 
only two specimens have been examined.” One of these (at least one 
labeled “Olivet”) is now in the laboratory of Olivet College 8 . I believe 
that the Ann Arbor, Olivet (Eaton County),, Grayling, and Pine Lake 
records are the only ones that we can consider reliable at present. The 
“Michigan” records of Sager and Miles are too general to be of use. 
The Marquette record was given on the authority of Dr. Downing, and 
the records for Kalamazoo, Montcalm and Van Buren Counties are un- 
supported by specimens. Young individuals of Storeria occipitomaculata 
are frequently confused with this species so that one cannot safely rely 
upon reports. 
1 13 th Ann. Rept. Mich. Acad. Sci.. 
2 Sager. A. Senate Doc. State of Mich., 1839, 302. Miles, M. First Biennial Rept. Mich Geol 
Surv., 1801. 233. 
3 Smith, W. H. Supp, Science News, 1879, VII. 
"Cope, E. D. Rept. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1898, p. 753. 
f Clark, H. L. Fourth Ann. Rept. Mich. Acad. Sci., p. 193. 
°Gibbs, M., Notestein, F. N., and Clark, H. L. 7th Ann. Rept. Mich. Acad. Sci., p. 110. 
7 Ruthven, A. G. Rept. Mich. Geol. Surv., 1905. p.,111. 
8 This specimen has been examined for me by Crystal and Helen Thompson. The scutellation is 
as follows: Dorsals, 15, upper labials 8, lower labials 7, oculars 2-1, temporals 1-1, ventrals 148, 
subcaudals 50. 
